Burn Out Brighter
by LucJig
Summary: They each had their own virtue, their own strength, shining like beacons. In the end, their light was all that was left standing on the edge of the abyss. In the face of death and beyond, they still burn.
1. Love to the Last

_This is a tragedy through and through. Beware of what you're getting yourself into._

_TK/Kari/Davis are about 15, so go ahead and do the math from there to find out everyone's age. Setting is separate from my other digimon fics._

_No putting this off anymore...go on ahead and read. _

* * *

><p><strong>Love to the Last<strong>

The sun glowed sadly through the bleak haze of the ravaged digital sky, polluted by the smoke billowing from destroyed cities nearby. The scene was one of despair, especially with the enemy marching over the horizon, aiming to level the last three towns standing on File Island. It was a shoreline community, and its occupants were preparing a full evacuation that was hindered badly by the panic that was nearly taking over.

It was only the endeavours of a certain auburn-haired Digidestined that kept the digimon from running full off in all directions in their fear. She and her champion partner, a phoenix digimon, were keeping the natives under control and as orderly as they could while several Whamon awaited to be loaded up with passengers. The entire populations of the three villages would be carted off to the desert in Server, where they would be safe for the time being from the rampaging digimon army.

Saving the innocent digimon wasn't Sora's only concern. There was something she had found on the top of Infinity Mountain, just before the enemy digimon invaded. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were looking for it. After a quick talk with Izzy, the two decided that its location was best kept secret, and should not fall into the wrong hands at all costs.

There was a rumbling and the sound of shattering brick in the distance. The army had apparently reached one of the villages, and were in the process of tearing it to the ground in search of the artefact that Sora held. In response to the din of destruction, a Gotsumon ran up to Sora, its eyes wide.

"I can't believe it! I thought he was here with me this whole time! Please help! He's probably still back in that town!"

Immediately, the child of Love put aside any thought about the artefact she had to protect, and found herself determined to save the lost digimon. She called out to Birdramon, and jumped up onto one of the champion's feet as she swooped by. The Gotsumon jumped up onto the other talon.

"He's my best friend," the digimon told Sora, seeing her questioning look. "I was only asking for your help. I don't expect you to do it alone."

Moments later they dove into cover of what remained of the town. As they landed, it finally occurred to Sora that if she were caught, she shouldn't have the artefact on her. She snuck into a patch of trees while the Gotsumon searched the nearby house. Finding the centre of the grove, she picked out a tree with three main roots spreading in each direction. One of them had a thick pad of moss growing beside it. Carefully peeling away the layer of foliage, Sora dug away at the dry dirt and eventually hit a good-sized stone. She lifted it just enough for her to get her fingers underneath. Sora pulled out the artefact out of her jeans pocket and gazed at it one more time. It looked a lot like Gatomon's tail ring, though the Digicode seemed to be different. She assumed it was some sort of password or maybe even the holy ring itself was a type of key. Either way, the thing just _felt_ important, and she knew that she had to keep it safe. Sora pressed the ring into the dirt underneath the rock and replaced everything, filling in the hole and pushing the moss back into place on top. Satisfied that the place looked undirsturbed, Sora hurried back to the house, out of which the Gotsumon was just emerging.

"He's not in there! Come on, he's got to be around here somewhere. We used to climb trees a lot, so maybe he's hiding in those woods."

They were already at the edge of the woods Sora had just exited from. The enemy digimon were awfully close, and the ground shook with the power of Monochromon and the likes ramming into buildings like wrecking balls. As she followed the Gotsumon, Sora typed away at her D-Terminal, telling Izzy the location of the artefact. He didn't respond right away, which was unusual.

The Gotsumon stopped short, nearly causing Sora to trip over him. He cupped his hands over his mouth and cried up into the trees. "Hey, up there! Yo, freak!"

Sora followed his gaze up to see a trembling digimon trapped in the branches of one of the taller trees. "Birdramon," she said. "Get him down."

The Gotsumon jumped up to ride on the bird as Sora waited below, suddenly realizing how close the enemy was behind her. They were destroying the house that the Gotsumon had just searched.

And then the completely unexpected happened. Something stabbed her in the back of the knee, causing her to scream as her leg buckled and she fell. Reaching for the source of the pain, she found a wicked-looking syringe with a thick needle stuck in her leg. The chuckle of a DemiDevimon came from a ways behind her. Sora looked back up at Birdramon, and realized that by the time the champion untangled herself from the branches and made her way down, there wouldn't be enough time to fly back out. Common sense left Sora completely as she shouted out a shaky command.

"Go! Birdramon, just leave!" Sora had returned to this village to save a digimon, and that was what she was set on doing.

The sound of their approaching enemy was growing louder behind her, and Sora remembered the message to Izzy. What would be the purpose of hiding the artefact if they simply read the directions to it on her D-Terminal? Sora pulled out the device and feebly pressed at the keyboard, blearily trying to find the message. Her heart doubled its pace as she heard many footstomps of the coming enemy. She found the message, and hit the delete button. As it was doing so, she hastily typed out one more message to the whole group.

**I won't be coming back. Love you all.**

Too short for her liking, but she believed that was the core of what she had to say. Love. It had saved her in times past, and now she had died for its sake. One digimon had been lost in three towns, and yet her compassion would not let her leave it to die. Not while there was something she could do. And she did it. At least there was that sense of accomplishment. It definitely wasn't logical. The loss of a Digidestined was much heavier than a rookie digimon, but love and compassion weren't exactly logical in the first place. They just acted. Izzy wasn't there to do the reasoning and stop her, like what normally would have happened if she waited for the group to come with her.

The D-Terminal beeped with the notification that the message was sent. A second one followed saying that the other message to Izzy had been deleted. Sora laid her head on the grassy floor, paralyzed and unable to react as she heard the digimon's footsteps stop just behind her.

Her eyes were already closed, but she could still barely feel and still faintly hear. The last sensations she registered were the several vibrations and chirps from the D-Terminal, telling her the others were reacting to her message.

But without warning, something sharp stabbed into her back and through her heart.

Black silence followed.

* * *

><p><em>As time goes on, these will probably get a little more graphic...but I guess personal bias got in the way. I like Sora...er <em>liked.

_Review! Should I continue?_

_And, btw, for those who may be wondering, Dark Waters will be updated this coming weekend, most likely. I have a pretty good sized chapter halfway written but on the back burner. If you haven't read it, please do! I love feedback._

_Until next time..._


	2. Price of Knowledge

_Good Lord, I had no idea it would take me this long to update...sorry for the wait! At least this chapter's longer._

* * *

><p><strong>Price of Knowledge<strong>

**I won't be coming back. Love you all.**

The first answer came two seconds later.

**Just hang on for a couple minutes. We're coming ASAP.**

After receiving no confirming reply from Sora, Izzy had feared the worst, and had immediately made contact with as many Digidestined as he could, which only turned out to be Mimi, Tai, and Ken. Quickly tracking the location of Sora's D-Terminal, he sent the coordinates to those three before entering the DigiWorld himself. Mimi assured him she would find a way there as quickly as possible, while Tai and Ken spread the word to whomever they could. Knowing their group, the Digidestined would be five minutes behind Izzy at the most.

The digital gate dropped him on the shore where apparently a huge evacuation recently took place, telling from the many tracks in the sand. It was dead quiet. Abandoned, both by the innocent and the enemy. The red head stood there for several long seconds. The sight was inconceivable. Years ago, when the Dark Masters had invaded the Digital World, there had been several months of gradual damage done. The sight of disaster before him surpassed anything he ever remembered from that time. File Island had been reduced to ashes in a single day.

He checked his digivice for any reading of Sora's, but the screen was blank. Reverting to the slightly harder method, Izzy pulled out his laptop to track down her D-Terminal. It hadn't moved from when he had previously found it.

Izzy didn't want to think about what that meant, and decided promptly to take off in a sprint, following the directions on his computer. Tentomon wasn't there with him. Undoubtedly the rookie had been evacuated with all the other innocents on the island. That was probably for the best. The presence of a digimon like him would attract their enemy, and Izzy didn't need any attention. He had come to get Sora and get out.

A small, wooded area soon came up before him, and that was consoling to some degree. At least there was any life still here at all. A great many of the trees were scorched by the hot rampage of virus digimon, but these managed to stay standing and not crumble to ashes like most of the surrounding environment. Izzy prayed Sora was still in there and hadn't lost her D-Terminal.

There was a distant roar that caused Izzy to start and search the landscape warily. Off in the horizon, he spotted two small forms, obscured in the smoky sky. Though their appearance was blurred, he recognized the dragon digimon, circling in the air. Gigadramon and Megadramon. It didn't take long for Izzy to figure that they were combing the surface of File Island, searching. Their course was slowly taking them towards the wood where Izzy was headed. Without Tentomon, he knew he was putting himself at risk staying here any longer. There was no time to just stand. Izzy resumed his sprint, plunging into the thin cover of the burnt trees. He was close.

Closer than he thought.

Izzy came on the scene abruptly, and stopped short. It was as bad as he had feared. Why did he always have to be right? There she lay, dead.

Sora's face was peaceful, bringing him the comfort that she didn't suffer for long. Upon further examination, Izzy saw why. A Demi Dart had been struck into her leg. The red head took a step closer to her, and noticed that she had been impaled on a blade at some point, though the weapon had apparently been removed. At least their enemy had the decency to leave her body un-abused.

As real as the sight was, Izzy couldn't believe it. He was too late. She had been gone for some time. Seeing the D-Terminal in her limp hand, he assumed that she had just gotten that last message off before blacking out. It had all been out of his power. The thought stung, and Izzy felt himself quickly overwhelmed with the surge of emotions that came with it. His eyes brimmed over as he knelt beside her body.

_It could be a trap..._

_No way! We're just bits of data, so I uploaded us as file attachments..._

_Okay! I believe you!_

One of the last exchanges they had before Sora had been kidnapped by Datamon. That was five years ago already. It was only one of those many terrifying experiences where they feared that one of their own might not make it through the battle. Like Devimon and TK. Or Kari and Myotismon. Izzy himself had his own close call one time, against Vademon.

But now this new battle had arisen, and Sora was already gone. It was a devastating blow.

Izzy heard the cry of the dramon close, and he knew his time was running out. In a quick preparation for the worst scenario, he forwarded Sora's message to the first person on his contacts. Being as organized as he was, his first recipient would be Hida, Cody. After that, he proceeded to delete Sora's message to him, just in precaution. As bad as his situation was, he wanted to be as prepared as he could be if it did get worse. Izzy checked Sora's device, and saw that she had had the same thought. The delete notification was reassuring. At least she had kept her head on until the very last. He leafed through the several messages that had come from the other Digidestined. The ones she apparently hadn't read. Would never read.

**Don't worry Sora. TK and I are coming. You are going get back home.**

The red head felt his heart break at Matt's hopeful words. All they could do now was give her a good funeral.

There wasn't enough time to look through the rest. A huge creature crashed down through the thin canopy of the small forest. Izzy's cover was blown, and he was fortunately aware of it. He leapt out of the path of a swiping metal claw, dropping Sora's D-Terminal in the process. He spun to face his attacker, and saw Megadramon hovering there, glaring at him.

Izzy almost held his ground, as he nearly forgot that Tentomon wasn't with him. Yet by another streak of fortune, the red head remembered. As soon as the ultimate began to approach, Izzy turned tail and ran as fast as he could the way he came. The digimon pursued, though hindered by the trees as it swung its claws back and forth to clear its path. The fugitive could hear the metal talons slice the air above him. It only drove Izzy to run faster. Even if he were to escape, he would have felt guilty about returning without Sora. But then again, his rational mind was taken over by panic as he fled the bloodthirsty ultimate digimon. He hadn't taken the second dramon into account.

Gigadramon burst loudly onto the scene, appearing right in front of Izzy. It was a trap. A simple one, but it doesn't take much for an ultimate digimon to manipulate a lone human's movements.

The second dragon digimon had driven his claws into the ground, causing an effect similar to Digmon's drills. Only Gigadramon was far more upscale than an armour digimon. The impact and resulting tremble of the earth threw Izzy off his feet. It was all the dramon needed. He felt Megadramon's metal claw close around him, and Izzy held his breath.

He wasn't being crushed, though the grip of the digimon was tight enough to be incredibly uncomfortable. Next thing Izzy knew, they were soaring off, presumably towards Infinity Mountain, seeing that the ocean was stretching in the opposite direction. He twisted around to try and catch a glimpse to confirm his suspicions. Whoever their enemy was, their base was on the mountain. Izzy spotted the obsidian structure that had been erected on the summit.

The boy already had a hypothesis as to what they wanted with him. Shaking away the fear in his mind, he vowed to himself: whatever they wanted, they wouldn't get the pleasure of having his help. He knew where the artefact was, but there would be no way for them to coax it out of him. It could mean death. Or worse, torture. He made his resolution there, as they spiralled down to land at the entrance to the tower. It was time to be strong.

Megadramon dropped him to the ground when he was still ten feet up. He wasn't injured upon impact with the ground, but the wind was clearly knocked out of him. For several moments he could do nothing but attempt to catch his breath. His body tensed with panic as he tried again and again to get some oxygen in. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but that was enough time for the residents of the black building to emerge.

It was a Kuwagamon that showed itself.

It had been the first unfriendly creature they had met in the Digital World, all those years ago. By now, this should have been an easy enemy. For Tentomon, that is. One quick digivolution to MegaKabuterimon, and this battle would be over in moments. But Izzy didn't have his partner with him, and that meant there would be no battle at all. Izzy had no time to run before Kabuterimon's rival took a shot at him. It was only one blow, but the red head was knocked out immediately.

Izzy never knew how much time had passed before he woke. The first thing he was aware of was the nausea. His stomach swam violently; his head spun sickeningly. As he winced, he felt a sticky layer of film covering the right side of his face. He blinked harder, and felt the layer crack and peel. The Kuwagamon's strike must have drawn blood, and a lot of it. Izzy slowly opened his eyes, and squinted into the dark. Or, at least, he thought he did. He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not, the room was so black. He presumed he had been taken inside the tower.

As he glanced around, looking for anything other than pitch-darkness, he felt a twinge in his neck. Apparently, however long he had been out, it was enough for him to develop a terrible kink, limiting the movements of his head. Izzy then realized all of his limbs were restrained. He was sitting on a flat chair, his back against a cold stone wall. His arms were bound to his sides; his ankles tied to the chair legs.

Blind and immobilized, he was completely vulnerable. He could only sit and wait.

"Comfortable?"

The soft, though deep voice shattered the silence, and Izzy started, gasping.

"No, then? Pity, though it's not like it matters."

"Where am I?" Izzy managed to ask. "What do you want? Who are you?"

"Hold it, boy." The voice grew stern. "I'm the one who will be giving the questions here."

Izzy suspected as much. He remembered his resolution. His captor would get no information from him.

"So, child, you shall answer your own questions as well as mine."

The red head decided that he was certainly in that obsidian tower, and that his captor wanted to know where that strange artefact was hidden. The only thing he had yet to learn was who exactly was behind all this. Izzy found that he didn't really want to know.

His captor addressed him. "Well, are we ready to begin? We'll start with this: are there any other children like yourself roaming our world?"

To be truthful, he didn't know. Matt had mentioned that he and TK were in their way to Sora, but he had no way of knowing if they were in the Digital World yet. Izzy didn't answer, and he soon found the limits of his captor's patience. Something sharp, a knife probably, stabbed into his right shoulder. Izzy let out a scream as he felt the point drive all the way through until he heard the metal clink against the stone behind him.

All of a sudden, his captor's voice was very close. "Shut up. That is only strike one."

Izzy did as he was told, though his breath came in quivering gasps. His enemy continued.

"I don't have very much time to waste on you, so we shall move on and get to the point," the voice continued. "You and your deceased friend have something very important to me. I want you to tell me where it is."

The red head held his tongue along with his breath. He had an idea what was coming next. Ten long seconds passed before another knife point struck deep into his left shoulder. He couldn't resist crying out, though he managed to subdue himself quicker. It felt like a giant staple had been hammered into his torso, pinning him to the wall. Each of his heavy breaths came with a pained grunt.

His captor growled, "Strike two. Surely, I thought a logical boy like you would have some sense about a subject like this, considering what's at stake. Answer me. You know where that key is."

So that's what that artefact was. A key, but to what? Izzy felt a sinking feeling fill him. He may never find out what this was all about, what his enemies were wanting to accomplish. Still, sensing that the third strike would be his last, he forced himself to speak. He didn't want to die blubbering like a weak and frightened child. Okay, maybe he was frightened, scared nearly out of his wits, but he definitely wasn't weak. Izzy was intent on proving it. His words came out bolder than he meant to, but that was just as well.

"Yes, I do know where it is. And you don't? I don't see what's wrong with that."

A roar burst in his face, and a blow connected with his jaw. Izzy's head flung to the side from the impact, wringing at his sore neck and aggravating his injured shoulders. Only his bonds held him in place. Something large planted in his chest, pressing him against the hard wall as the two blades were yanked out of his shoulders one at a time. Izzy was yelling in anguish, but it only further irritated his captor.

"Strike three."

One of the knives was plunged into his chest, and Izzy took one long gasp for air, shock filling his senses.

The sound of creaking suddenly came to his ears, confusing him. A door had been opened, letting a minimal amount of light in the room. He saw the vague silhouette of what could only be a very powerful digimon standing above him, obscuring what was in the doorway. The helmet on its head had three distinct, characteristic horns, telling him it must be part of the Greymon family. At least he had learned something about his enemy.

"We found several of the children," came a new voice, addressing Izzy's captor.

"You haven't engaged them yet?"

"No."

"Then let us hurry! I'm done here with this pathetic human."

Izzy caught a breath at the tone of his captor. Finality. The creature's silhouetted turned to him.

"Well, at least I've learned something down here, no thanks to you."

The child of Knowledge only saw a faint glint of light off of metal as the digimon's blade came down on his head. It was the last light he saw.

* * *

><p><em>Let's hope the next update comes sooner. See you then!<em>


	3. Pure One

_Okay, guys, now we're rolling! Though this one came out quicker, it's shorter..._

_Well, enjoy anyway._

* * *

><p><strong>The Pure One<strong>

"Palmon! Palmon, where are you?"

The desolate land that greeted Mimi had alarmed her. She had been running for some time now, following Izzy's directions to where Sora was. It did occur to her that if her best friend really was in danger, Mimi would be useless without her partner. So far, Palmon was nowhere to be seen. A hundred thoughts raced through her head, each alarming her. Maybe Palmon had been destroyed. Maybe Sora had been captured. Maybe the others couldn't make it. Maybe their enemy was too strong. Though she was thoroughly terrified for her friend's sake, she kept running. It had been a long time since she last had to do such a chore in the DigiWorld. Mimi finally reached that notorious forest, and stopped to catch her breath.

"Palmon!" She called again when she had enough wind. Surely her digimon could at least sense her presence, if not hear her. "Come on, Palmon!"

"Do you have to be so loud, child?"

Mimi squealed and jumped at the unfriendly words. She wasn't alone? How long was she being watched? Shivering, she looked around, searching for the speaker.

"Where are you?"

Her visitor ignored her question and asked one of its own. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my friend. Have you seen her?" Maybe if she was honest enough, she might get some information.

"Perhaps," came the reply. "I have seen several humans in this world today. I do hope you are not with them, for your sake."

The voice had turned sinister, and it filled her with fear.

"Are you a Digidestined?" It continued.

She couldn't lie, but she knew the truth may be the end of her. Mimi stayed quiet.

"Pity." Was the simple reply from the speaker. Her silence was answer enough for it. "This is a momentous time in the history of our universe. The time of Darkness' rise and the Chosen's demise."

"That can't be," Mimi murmured, shaking her head and lowering her eyes. She hoped the speaker wasn't meaning what she thought it meant. "Is...Sora, is she...gone?"

"I know of an auburn headed girl nearby that is dead, if that is who you are referring to."

The reply came calmly, and yet it struck a hard blow to Mimi. She found herself breathless. "Sora...no..."

"Now that I mention it, there was another red head visiting this world too, snooping around."

"Izzy? ...Not him too?" Mimi felt her voice began to choke up, but she swallowed against it. This was no time to lose her composure. If Palmon managed to come and rescue her, she might be able to find out something to tell the others. "Why? How could you do this?"

"They both fought against our cause, just as all of you have been doing for years."

"What cause?" The brunet asked shakily. She glanced around her again, trying to seek out the speaker. It was a deep voice, telling her that if it was a digimon, it was at least champion level.

"There is only one more lock standing between us and the Dark World. Our master has been trapped away there, and we are determined to free him and help spread his rule throughout this world and beyond. We don't need to destroy you Digidestined in order to open it, though if it comes to that, we are more than willing. Your deaths are assured once the gate is open."

"So you killed Sora and Izzy." It hurt so much to say that. Mimi felt the tears coming.

"Our armies are on the march. All who stand in their way are destroyed. Your friends fought, and they retaliated."

"Always fighting," Mimi said bleakly. "I've had too much of it already."

"Ironic that such an innocent child is a member of such a destructive force. The opening of the Dark World will be a time of unspeakable terror to your group, yet I am moved to free you of such a fate."

At first Mimi felt a surge of hope well up in her, but that was shattered as she realized the true meaning of those words. "You're...saying..."

"Yes. It is inevitable that you shall all fall in this battle, but not all of you have to suffer. You will have the luxury of a swift death."

"No," she replied, slowly at first. Her voice grew strong as she continued. "As much as I hate fighting, I owe my friends, and I'm going to help them, no matter how scary it will get."

"You don't have a say in my decision," the speaker countered sternly. "Accept what I give you."

"No! PALMON!" Mimi screamed as she felt the ground tremble beneath her.

"Mimi?" The third voice was never so welcome. "Mimi!"

"Stop him! He's already gotten Sora and Izzy!" The girl cried, not having enough time to welcome her partner.

The digimon replied with a burst of light shining through the trees."Palmon digivolve to...Togemon!"

Mimi allowed herself a smile as the giant cactus stood in front of her, ready to attack. This was her awaited chance to escape. Now knowing what their enemy wanted to accomplish, the Digidestined could work out a goal to focus on and hinder the powers of darkness.

Her hope was short lived. A black streak darted past right in front of them, disappearing as quickly as it appeared from the foliage. Togemon flew backwards, dedigivolving. It took a few seconds for either to register that the streak was their enemy. It was at least an ultimate, a very powerful one, telling from Palmon who now lay motionless.

"Oh, no!" Mimi wailed, gazing dismally at her dazed partner. "Are you all right?"

"Meem..." It was all Palmon managed to say before the deep voice roared through the forest.

"Terra Destroyer!"

Mimi snapped her head towards the source, and saw the huge ball of energy crashing towards her. She wasn't fast enough to run. She could only clutch her digivice to her chest one last time. There was a wave of gratefulness that her part in the fighting was over, but it was only followed by a wave of regret that she couldn't help her friends any longer.

The blast of fire passed over her quickly, consuming her entire being. Nothing was left over, save for the charred device. It glowed a soft green one last time before deactivating.

* * *

><p><em>Mimi's one of the characters I relate with the least, but I think this turned out okay. Though I grew up on the dub, where she was Sincerity, I'm aware that her original crest is Purity. I hope the chapter did justice for both.<em>

_Reviews welcome! Maybe guess who'll be next to go?_


	4. Falling Hope

_Sorry for another wait, but I think I have some good excuses, like, not being able to log in at all when I actually got around to finishing the chapter..._

_Once again, since this part took so long in getting up, its somewhat larger, even after abridging it._

* * *

><p><strong>Falling Hope<strong>

They were seven children, but only six digimon accompanied, and they would have to face foes they knew nothing about. They arrived on File Island, merely glancing at the barren scene around them as they raced towards the coordinates Izzy had given Ken and Cody. Matt was the seventh child, and at the moment was in the lead. Gabumon may not be with him for this encounter, but Matt felt sure he would be able to help get Sora back.

Those woods soon stood before them. Unaware of what befell the children who previously entered, the small group stepped into the thin shade of the fading trees. The atmosphere was tense there, as if something were hiding in the shadows. The feeling didn't deter them. Their sole concern was getting to Sora, who, during all this time, had not responded to any messages from the Digidestined.

The teenagers stopped and took a collective breath when a branch snapped somewhere in the woods around them. Matt took a glance all around him, trying to see if he could pick out any sign of life other than their own. He strained his senses, but was rather impeded by the debating among the younger children.

"Are you sure it was that way, Davis?" Cody asked sceptically.

"Course I'm sure!" The gogglehead frowned at the youngest Digidestined. "Where do you think you heard it?"

"I agree with Cody on this one," ventured Ken quietly.

"I thought it came from over there," TK said, pointing in an entirely new direction. Yolei nodded in agreement.

Davis stubbornly folded his arms. "This is pointless. I'm going this way, alright?"

"I'll go with you," Kari volunteered, while TK shrugged, relinquishing and stepping in line after the other two. He paused suddenly and turned to the others with a frown.

"Wait a minute guys. Why shouldn't we find Sora first? We're still pretty far from where Izzy said she was."

Though in agreement with his brother, Matt would rather have someone fending off their unseen stalkers. He decided against TK's reasoning. "No, you go on TK. Ken and I'll keep looking for Sora."

His younger brother tensed up, appearing to want to argue, but soon chose not. "Okay, but hurry. If anything goes really wrong, we'll need Imperialdramon back."

"No problem," Matt said, nodding and parting ways with his brother. The group split, Matt and Ken continuing further into the woods, the rest of the younger Digidestined cutting into the thicker part of the forest. Matt felt something pull at his senses, and turned to look back just in time to see the white flash of his brother's hat, with Patamon perched on top and the golden blond hair underneath.

The next instant the two boys were cut off by the undergrowth. The older brother felt an urge to call to TK, though he didn't know why. He shrugged. It would just be wasting time anyway.

* * *

><p>"Now I really think we chose the wrong direction," Yolei announced after some time of walking in tense silence.<p>

Davis countered, "And why do you think that?"

"Because we haven't even heard anything in the past ten minutes!"

"You give up too easily."

"Come on, Davis," Cody cut in. "We shouldn't leave Matt and Ken alone too long anyway. They've only got Wormmon between the two of them, and looking at the damage already done, they'll need more than just a champion if they got in trouble."

Davis stopped abruptly, a frown on his face, though he was clearly considering the other boy's words. "You know what, fine. Let's head back. But I know you'll all soon be dying to figure out what was making all that noise."

"I won't," Yolei muttered.

"Well I am already!" Davis growled in return.

The group had just turned a one-eighty to walk back when a loud snap broke the relative silence of the woods, followed by a high-pitched squeal.

TK's alarmed voice came next. "Patamon!"

All eyes turned to the pair, where TK was kneeling beside his partner. Patamon was struggling violently, entangled in sticky, white strands. A spider's web. They were all immediately on alert, seeing the shadows grow deeper around them. Another snapping sound came, and this time was trailed by a scream from Yolei. Cody and Kari were instantly hard at work in trying to free her. More webs were thrown, restraining Gatomon and Armadillomon. Hawkmon leapt up to get into action, but was caught in the same snare that soon wrapped itself around Cody.

"Veemon digivolve to...ExVeemon!"

"Alright, buddy! Don't let 'em hold you down!"

Two more packs of spider thread shot out from the woods, tying up TK and Kari. Davis stayed close to his partner, eyeing the now unfriendly trees.

"Vee Laser!" The champion shouted out, finally finding a target. He hit his mark, a Dokugumon, point blank. Davis beamed with pride.

"Nice shot! Keep it up, and we'll be done before Yolei yells again."

ExVeemon attacked again, and Davis spun to watch the laser streak into the forest. Once more, the champion's aim was perfect. Another inhuman shriek tore through the woods.

Davis suddenly felt a shove from behind, knocking him off balance. He began to teeter, his legs unresponsive. The goggle-head tried to throw his arms out to catch himself as he finally fell, but he found them strapped to his sides. Next thing Davis knew, his face was full of dirt and leaves. He rolled over, sputtering and trying to flee his limbs, but only succeeded in contorting his body into strange positions. He couldn't bring himself to stand.

"Davis!" Came the voice of his partner. The champion stood over him, studying the entanglement of webs to try and find a way to free the human. Davis immediately recognized ExVeemon's danger. He blurted the words out as quickly as he could.

"I'm fine! Stay focused!"

He was too late. One of the spider digimon came charging out of the forest and rammed into ExVeemon's flank. The blue digimon let out a surprised yell, but managed to promptly hurl the Dokugumon from him. Their enemy retaliated in numbers. Three more creatures showed themselves, pouncing on ExVeemon and wrestling him to the ground.

"Get up!" Shouted Davis to his downed partner. "You can do it!"

"It'll take more than him to get out of this," cackled a voice that sounded like an old witch's. Davis twisted his head about, trying to find the speaker. He had a guess at who it was.

Nearby, ExVeemon was just managing to get back up to his knees when a whole ring of Dokugumon formed around the group. Sensing the danger, the blue digimon jumped in a surge of determination, but the Dokugumon were already prepared.

"Poison Thread!"

Normally, it shouldn't have been too hard for Davis' partner to counter such an attack, but there were at least five of the enemy targeting him at once. He was immediately brought back to the ground, immobilized. Davis would have cursed if it weren't for that screeching voice interrupting him with a mad laugh.

"There, see? No chance. The only way you're going to get out of here is if I let you."

"You're wrong!" Davis snapped angrily, finding a way to sit up. He glanced around and examined their situation. At least ten Dokugumon had them surrounded, along with their apparent overseer, Arukenimon. "You!"

"Recognize me?" She blurted, slightly taken aback. "You must be the one who destroyed one of my sisters then, right?"

Davis thought back. It was MaloMyotismon who killed the former Arukenimon. He remembered being so frustrated, as well as horrified. What he wouldn't give to be the one to take out Arukenimon. Maybe now was his chance.

"Let us go and fight fair!" He challenged.

Arukenimon chuckled. "Why would I do that? I don't fight fair, sonny. How do you think I got to be as powerful as I am?"

Davis struggled violently against the adhesive bonds. He was fortunate; the web had just barely caught him. He again eyed the spider digimon around him, and saw that the ring of Dokugumon was closing in around them. He and ExVeemon seemed to be caught in the centre of the action. Off to one side, Cody was tangled up in the same web that caught Hawkmon. Yolei lay by herself, still thrashing about. Gatomon was closer to Davis, while Armadillomon and Patamon were ensnared on the opposite side of him. TK was barely a metre away from the two rookies, further outside and closer to their enemy. Kari was the one nearest to the approaching digimon, and Davis could tell the Dokugumon would harm her once one got close enough.

Fury filled him as he yanked off the last bunch of thick strands and scrambled to his feet. If any single one of those creatures did so much as touch her, he would beat it into oblivion. He leapt forward, jumping over Yolei and yelling as loud as he could. He was a moment too late. One of the Dokugumon had reached Kari, and opened its jaws wide in a threatening manner. Davis skidded to a stop, knowing that the digimon didn't need much provoking to attack. He stopped in time. Arukenimon halted the spider digimon and spoke up.

"I've told you I don't play fair, but given the grand scheme of things, I can spare you a little mercy. You have two choices. Run now, and we won't give chase, or pick one of these bound children to be left behind, and we shall release the rest of you."

At first Davis thought the answer was obvious. Of course he couldn't just run and leave them behind. But then again, he thought about the guilt that came with having to choose which of his friends to die. Davis glanced at each of the other Digidestined trapped with him. They stared back at him with wide eyes, knowing that he wouldn't flee, but terrified of who he would choose.

"Davis!" Kari finally said. "Save yourself."

That wasn't an option for him. Davis didn't reply, and tried not to look at the Dokugumon that was still drooling just behind the girl. Tearing his gaze away, his eyes rested on TK's. The blond was lying on his stomach, with another of the spider digimon standing right over him. The champion was prodding at the helpless boy's body, but TK barely moved.

"Pick me, Davis," he soon came to say.

The goggle-head blinked. "What?"

Cody spoke up, "No! Kari's right, go and regroup with Ken and Matt."

Davis glanced at Yolei for her two cents. She was scared for her life. "Whatever you do, just make sure I get out alive, all right?"

He lowered his head, "Then I'll stay behind."

TK immediately objected. "Davis, listen. Cody's right about one thing: you need to find Ken. Just leave me behind. You need Imperialdramon more than you need Shakkoumon."

"But, TK..."

"It's okay, Davis."

The brunet was incredulous. There TK lay, with a nightmare of a tarantula -or whatever kind of spider it was- hovering directly above him, and he still kept his voice and face steady. Davis strode over to his side, causing the Dokugumon to back off. TK's expression relaxed, showing his relief.

"Thanks."

Davis shot a glare up at the offending digimon before turning back to his friend. He would have torn off the bonds right then and there, but he knew that would only incur the wrath of Arukenimon. Restraining himself, he spoke as quietly as he could manage, which was barely under a whisper, considering how much the anger was building up in him.

"TK...are you sure?"

The child of Hope smiled slightly and nodded subtly. "Yes, and I know I can rest easy now that you've finally got my name right."

Such a comment might have made Davis smile, but he only frowned further.

TK sighed, "Just pick me."

Closing his eyes, Davis took a deep breath. Before he could exhale, however, Arukenimon interrupted with a snicker.

"That settles it then."

The goggle-head spun to face her, releasing his breath with a faltering cry. "W-wait!"

"Don't push your luck, sonny! I don't have all day, after all." She signalled to the rest of the Dokugumon, gesturing to TK. "Bring him."

Davis turned back to the blond with a gasp. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? TK was already in the jaws of one of the Dokugumon, and it carried him away, retreating into the woods with the others. Aware that one false move would be enough for their enemy to kill TK on the spot, he could only stare in disbelief. The blond gazed back, his hat askew and covering half his face. His expression was unreadable. In seconds, the whole gathering of spider digimon were gone. At length, Davis looked at the others. Their shocked faces portrayed the same feeling he felt inside.

Seeing that the Chosen digimon were already hard at work in freeing themselves, Davis followed suit and began tugging away at the webs that held his friends. It took five minutes each to unbind everyone, and during that time the tension grew more and more.

Eventually, faint echoes of an agonized yell brushed past them. They all froze. Everything in them begged to follow the voice. But was it already too late?

* * *

><p>When he squeezed his eyes open, all he saw was grey barrenness. Besides the intense headache, he was able to pinpoint a sting in his side. TK felt for the source, and his hand came away bloody. He jerked himself up to a sitting position to investigate, wincing in the process.<p>

He lifted his shirt to inspect the injury. Three gnarly puncture wounds dotted up his side from where the Dokugumon had bitten him just before a second had knocked him out. There were other gashes all over his body. His left arm was limp due to one of the creatures goring him in the shoulder with its horns. Those moments, which had seemed to drag on so long at the time, had already gone blurry in his mind. Did he fight? Did he call for help? Did he just lie there and let them beat him?

Why was he still alive?

Though what he was mostly feeling was pain and grogginess, TK suddenly felt the coldness of the environment. He looked around, and soon found himself gazing up at Infinity Mountain above. For a long minute, he only sat there, transfixed by the sheer height of the summit.

The next instant, something like a cold wall slammed into him from behind, driving him up against the mountain face. Pain radiated from the wounds in his side and shoulder as the pressure from the back intensified. He was being crushed against the smooth rock wall, shortly finding it hard to breathe. Just as he felt a rib or two would crack from the force, he was released, and fell limply to the stone ground, his hat slipping from its perch.

A dark chuckle came that send chills down his back. TK barely dared to turn around.

"So weak without your partner, aren't you?"

The voice confirmed it all. TK didn't reply.

"They once said the smallest will destroy me. Well...oh, you're not the smallest anymore, are you?" The laugh came again. "Then there's nothing for me to worry about. I get my way at last, after five years and eons before that."

A large shadow fell over TK, and he spared a glance up at the source. Of course it had to be Devimon, but the huge shade was provided by his hand alone. The demon digimon was more than three times as big as he should be. TK had always had a feeling that they would meet again, but he had also taken comfort that he had grown up himself, that Devimon wouldn't be the giant he was when TK was eight. He was wrong. Devimon was the same undefeatable monster they had met years ago; TK was the same frightened, helpless, and insignificant child compared to this devil. Nothing had changed.

Devimon sensed the fear, and grinned broadly. "You're even more pathetic than I remembered."

The creature's hand lowered closer, and for a moment all TK wanted to do was cower. He pictured himself, curled up, hands over his head, sobbing his eyes out in the face of death. He didn't want to die like that.

TK built his courage back up, took a couple deep breaths, and forced himself to stand and face Devimon. It was difficult, and it did take a moment before TK finally glared up at Devimon's face.

"You know what?" He said at length. "I know I'm probably not getting out of this one, but you're not going to have any more fun scaring me."

Devimon huffed, frowning. "It will be fun enough seeing you dead, boy. And without you, the rest will surely fall."

The black claw was still slowly coming down, and at the last moment, TK ducked out of its reach. He didn't fail to notice his own body's protests to the movement. He watched Devimon's hand clutch at empty space. The evil digimon turned to him. "So you've decided to make things difficult?"

"Last time you tried to kill me, you died." TK knew his words were empty, but all he wanted to do right now was deny his own fear and defy this monster.

"I was referring to you making this harder for yourself. Personally, I'm enjoying it." Devimon's hand shot forth, faster than what seemed possible from such a large digimon, and TK found himself airborne and winded. He landed hard, painfully crashing among the cold rocks of Infinity Mountain. It took all his willpower to force his body off the ground again after that.

TK only got to his knees. That was his limit. With his injured shoulder and waist, burning with pain, along with the shortage of breath and dazed mind, he would have fallen completely unconscious if he tried to move any further. Devimon still loomed above him, laughing.

"Is that all you can handle? After such a bold statement, I thought you would have more fight in you."

TK managed to glance up as the darkness grew deeper around him. The last thing he wanted was for Devimon to get his revenge on Hope, but he had no more strength. It was being sapped right out of him by the evil digimon's presence, drained away along with his blood.

The black hand closed around him, enveloping his entire body in its coldness. TK felt the chilling sensation rush along his skin and fill all his senses with its overpowering bite, but there was no room to shiver. He was held tight in Devimon's claw, and there was no more he could do to resist. The pressure increased, and TK knew Devimon was squeezing, tightening his grip. The constriction was overwhelming, as TK's body was soon overcome with throbbing and tingling.

He was on the outer limits of his consciousness when Devimon's voice came one more time. "This is it."

The only thing telling him that Devimon had released him was the fact that he could breathe easier. Otherwise, the pain still raged on as his body continued to shudder from the icy touch. He peeled his eyes halfway open, and saw his enemy snickering down at him, claw outstretched.

"Death Hand."

Those last seconds slowed and stretched into an eternity. The cloud of black energy seemed to come at him slowly, but when it brushed over his body, he was carried back roughly and pressed up against the mountain face. Wave after wave blew past him, and each took away more and more of his consciousness. Only when TK finally let his eyes close did the attack gradually come to a stop. Devimon let the boy fall from five feet up. TK landed on his knees first, and then fell face first in the dirt. He didn't move. His chest no longer heaved with painful gasps; the blood had stopped its course through his body. He, like his hope, like his will to live, had died away.

* * *

><p><em>...when I first started, I didn't think I'd get to TK so soon, but it was fitting. Who do you think will be next?<em>

_I doubt I'll be writing anything for some time now. Hectic life...ya know? That's my main excuse for not posting. _

_PS: I was thinking of changing the way I'm doing this. Perhaps have a separate tragedy story for each continuity? That way I can give myself a little leeway and have an interim chapter every now and again. Because, seriously, the only kids who know anyone's died are the ones already dead. I should fix that next chapter..._

_Well, it should be another long while before the next update, but take some time to let me know how you like the story, okay?_


	5. Must Know

_Well, readers, sorry for that delay. Back to the story_

* * *

><p><strong>Must Know<strong>

"Okay, that does it!" Davis growled. "I can't just walk away after hearing that. You guys can go and look for Ken and Matt if you want, but I'm going for TK."

He spun angrily, but only took a few steps when they heard a welcome voice.

"Davis, wait," said Matt.

The younger children turned excitedly towards the newcomers, but paused worriedly when they saw the expression of the two, especially Matt. His eyes were wet and bloodshot, and Ken's face was more downcast than the children ever remembered. Yolei gave an alarmed yelp when she recognized the two boys' new companion.

"Palmon?"

The plant digimon collapsed to her knees, eyes swimming with tears. Yolei ran forward, panicking. "What is it? What happened? Tell me! Mimi? Oh, please, not Mimi!"

Palmon couldn't hold back her sobs and didn't answer. Yolei shot a look up at the two boys, finally speechless, pleading with her eyes. Matt lowered his head and covered his eyes with a hand. Ken was the only one who could find his voice. He shook his head slowly.

"Not just Mimi. Sora an…and Izzy are gone too."

Shock filled the group; silence filled the air. The younger kids didn't know what to do except to shed tears, especially Kari. It was stressful enough having given TK up, but now there were three less Digidestined to help them get through this war. The reality sunk in slowly. They were dying. Actually dying. Unable to rise from the ashes to help.

They had to hurry.

Ken brought up the subject first, "Where's TK?"

Matt jerked his head up. His eyes, which were closed and freely flowing the instant before, were now wide and alarmed. "What?"

He ran forward and seized Davis by the shoulders.

"What happened to him?"

One glance into the blond's gaze, and Davis lost his voice. He didn't know how to break it to Matt. But then again, there was still a chance of finding TK, wasn't there? There was a moment of dead silence as Davis formulated his explanation. But there was another echo; another faint cry, and that was all it took to explain. Matt released Davis, and gazed horrified in the direction the sounds came from.

"No," Ken said, taking a step forward. Panic filled his face. "Not another one!"

"And especially not him!" Matt yelled and sprinted off into the woods. The others followed suit.

The entire group dove headfirst into the foliage in pursuit of their lost comrade. There was no telling how much time TK had, but they certainly couldn't afford any delays. Yet the delays came.

Just the luck of a Digidestined. Only now, things were getting much worse

Their path was cut off by a bellowing roar and the digimon from where it came. A Megadramon –he was having an eventful day– closed in on them fast, crashing through the trees. The group split in two, preparing for the ultimate to pass between them, but instead it pulled up short, planting its huge claws in the ground with another shout. Its only goal was to distract the children, which it succeeded in doing. Another call came from behind them.

"Ultimate Slicer!"

The Digidestined next saw Wormmon flying through the air, with Ken frantically giving chase. Gigadramon, the second of the pair of ultimates, had shown himself from the rear. The children were officially in panic mode. There was no time for this! They could barely react before Megadramon shouted out, "Darkside Attack!"

"Hawkmon!" Yolei's scream confirmed that the target had been hit.

Davis finally spoke up through their rising desperation. "Guys, come on! Put your heads together! Digivolve!"

His words weren't in vain. Though the two hit rookies were unconscious, the Chosen digimon still had a fighting chance.

"Armadillomon digivolve to…Ankylomon!"

"Veemon digivolve to…ExVeemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to…Angewomon!"

The three Chosen charged the two ultimates head on, hoping to get an early head start. The quicker this battle ends the better.

Ankylomon charged low as ExVeemon and Angewomon leapt up overhead. It was a spur of the moment plan, but it was tried and tested, and fail-proof most of the time. The latter two would attack from above, driving the enemy to the ground where the Tail Hammer would do its work.

"Celestial Arrow!"

"Vee Laser!"

The two attacks were dead on, but only one of the dragon digimon dropped in altitude. The other, Gigadramon, continued charging straight on towards Angewomon. She was poised to retaliate, ready to either counter-attack or dodge. But then at the last possible moment, Gigadramon turned sharply, swinging a claw. The blow knocked ExVeemon right out of the air. Meanwhile, Megadramon bore down on Ankylomon fiercely, though it didn't directly attack. The second dramon came by, and suddenly the two ultimates dove upon the Chosen digimon, scooping him up.

The Digidestined stared breathless as Ankylomon was hoisted up. Yolei had to hold a panicky Cody back from running out into the battle. Everyone was so high strung; even the normally cool and composed ones were bound to snap and do something brash. Someone had to draw the line somewhere.

ExVeemon leapt up after the dramon carrying Ankylomon, but the two abruptly spun and practically threw the huge dinosaur digimon into him, followed up by two massive blows. As a result, it was merely Armadillomon and Veemon who made it all the way to the ground. The Chosen digimon's partners sprinted out check on them. They were all awestruck by the development.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon cried out as Megadramon passed by again. Her attack successfully held off the ultimate, but there was nothing she could do about Gigadramon. The silver dramon came from a completely different direction, and soon he had his human prey in his claws.

"Cody!" More than half of the present Digidestined cried out after their friend.

Angewomon raced down to the ground, dedigivolving.

"Kari!" Gatomon said hurriedly. "Come on! Armour digivolve! I can go longer and faster as Nefertimon."

Without hesitation, Kari held out her D3. "Digiarmour energize!"

In an instant, the angel of light was before them, and Kari jumped aboard. Matt ran after, carrying Armadillomon and Patamon on his shoulders. "Don't forget me!"

He vaulted onto Nefertimon's back just as the armour digimon took to flight in pursuit of the two ultimates. It was no use. Though Nefertimon may have been faster than Angewomon, Mega and Gigadramon were far quicker. They couldn't even hear Cody's cries by now. What in the world did those digimon want? The four raced across the landscape, watching the figures of the two dramon shrink as they approached Infinity Mountain. Why were they going there?

"KARI!"

It was Tai's voice, coming from below.

"Tai!" Kari yelled back. "Stop, Nefertimon! He may have Agumon with him."

The digimon didn't argue, but landed promptly and retraced their way back to where Tai's voice came from. It only took a moment before the Bearer of Courage came crashing onto the scene. He had not only Agumon with him, but Joe and Gabumon as well.

"Now we're talking!" Matt exclaimed, hope surging through him.

* * *

><p>He had never flown as much as the others. There were several trips on Imperialdramon with all the others, but those flights always went by so fast. Once or twice he had flown with TK on Pegasusmon, but most of the time, however, he did his quick travelling by water. As a result, the flight to Infinity Mountain was the most terrifying ride Cody had ever experienced. The combination of the height, speed, and his being in enemy hands all added to his overwhelmed panic. He had a sense that at any moment, the Gigadramon holding him would relinquish its grip, and he would fall several hundred feet to his death. Cody tried to look behind and see if any of his friends were pursuing him, but he couldn't make out anything. As of now, he was alone.<p>

While Infinity Mountain grew closer, Cody forced himself to calm down and think of what their enemy could possibly want with him. The knowledge that he was still alive and only a hostage brought him hope, however, that TK might just be alive as well. Even so, he wondered what was in store for himself and his DNA partner. Once he saw that tower upon the summit of the mountain, Cody realized he may not want to figure out.

Megadramon and Gigadramon descended before the obsidian structure, dropping the boy off. Cody looked around frantically as the two ultimates abandoned him there. He promptly spotted the tall black figure standing at the gates of the tower. Cody did a double take. It looked like BlackWarGreymon.

But it wasn't.

The digimon advanced, slow enough for Cody to get a good look at it. It was strikingly similar in build to WarGreymon, though instead of the Dramon Destroyer gauntlets, it wielded two samurai-styled swords. Its armour was designed differently as well, being mostly made of fitted segmented plates in place of the solid shoulder pads of WarGreymon. It was obviously part of the Greymon-species of digimon, though Cody had never seen or heard of this particular creature.

The digimon soon was standing towering above him, its long silver hair blowing freely on the mountain wind. The two stared at each other for a long moment, and then the digimon decided to speak first.

"I suppose you'd ask me eventually, so I shall come right out and say it. I am Gaiomon, forerunner of the conquest to overtake this world. Listen to my query closely boy, for your life may depend on it. Where is the key?"

Key? Cody racked his brain for the answer, though he had a feeling that it was best his enemy didn't find the answer. In all honesty, he had no idea. The subject sounded familiar, but he was too flustered to concentrate on remembering. He was scared for his life. Only a minute passed before Gaiomon let out a frustrated sigh and lifted his head.

"You may know, but I have other ways of getting what I'm looking for. I don't have to waste time interrogating you. There is another use that you can be put to."

Gaiomon reached out a clawed hand and turned a compliant Cody around before lifting him up high. The tower was now behind the boy as he looked out over File Island and the ocean beyond. He saw the forest from which he came, a huge expanse of trees now half decimated. Cody spotted a point of light shining from beneath the foliage, far in the distance. His breathing quickened.

"A lone Digidestined is a magnet for the whole group," Gaiomon went on. "They know you're here, and will try to rescue you. That will be their demise. There will be no stopping them. Several children have been killed already, and no doubt the rest will do whatever they can to stop anymore death. They will resort to brash and foolish decisions. Don't deny it, boy."

Cody spoke up in defiance. "I'm not denying it. I know they'll come for me, but that's your loss, not mine."

A growl resounded behind him, and Cody now held his breath as the black digimon's voice came very close. "They'll only find your body when they come."

The hair stood on the back of the boy's neck, and the next instant, one of the mega's swords was stabbed through his chest. Cody stared down at the blade. His vision wavered, but still his eyes remained fixed on that spot. He was in shock and disbelief. It happened so fast, and now his senses were fading fast. And then, at the final second, there came the curious feeling of falling into black.

* * *

><p><em>Can't say that the next update will come anytime soon. I'm making sure at least a little gets typed out in what spare time I have.<em>

_There's about three or four other fics that I've sorta started that get a little attention every now and again, so at least I'm still writing._

_See you next chapter!_


	6. Count On It

_Yay! Finally got around to finishing something!_**  
><strong>

_These past couple months have been crazy as heck, and this story was kinda forgotten for a time. I had left it off in the middle of a sentence actually...that's how abrupt my schedule gets._

_Anyway, the chapter's a good bit longer than the others, so read on, finally..._

* * *

><p><strong>Count On It<strong>

Two huge dinosaur digimon stood on the summit of Infinity Mountain, overlooking the island. Their appearances were very similar, save that the yellow-haired one fought with clawed gauntlets and the white-haired one wielded already bloody samurai-swords. The blond mega stood just behind and to the left of the other, waiting to be acknowledged. It was a moment before he was given clearance to speak. A small, limp body lay in front of the silver-haired one.

"How many humans have you killed, BlackWarGreymon?" The silver headed digimon eventually asked as he mused over the boy he had just slain.

"None," the other replied nonchalantly. "They were never worth my while."

"You should try these children. They are something special. I haven't killed many humans myself, but most of them were blabbering weaklings."

"As opposed to these Chosen? They seem just as vulnerable to me."

"In body, yes. But in spirit and words, no." Gaiomon turned and let BlackWarGreymon look upon Cody's body. "This one contained too powerful a spirit to just be an ordinary human, and I'm sure the others will prove far more impressive."

"One of the most interesting of the children is already dead."

"Ah, Devimon's little urchin? Yes. He caught my attention as well, but I believe in vengeance. He was Devimon's, so I settled with the boy's partner." Gaiomon glanced down at the body at his feet. "This one had some defiance in him, but he still was tense as a frightened Gazimon until I put his miserable life away. I am certain the others are more resilient."

"We'll see. Their true trial is at hand."

Gaiomon glanced up sharply, at which BlackWarGreymon nodded confirmation. "We have it."

* * *

><p>Five digimon and four humans raced top speed towards the infamous mountain. With two megas on their side, they hastened in full confidence. Megadramon and Gigadramon wouldn't stand a chance should a fight ensue with the two. Matt kept his gaze on the summit of the mountain, almost oblivious to anything else. Oblivious to the high speed winds; oblivious to Joe sitting behind him, holding on for dear life; oblivious to the shaken Armadillomon sitting in his lap as they rode on MetalGarurumon.<p>

Yet he was suddenly made aware of the weight on his shoulder. He craned his neck, and saw Patamon's face next to his. He had forgotten that the little rookie had come along; it startled him for an instant.

"Pata...? What?"

The digimon replied in a weak voice. "Maybe Cody's with TK now."

TK. Adrenaline rushed through him, and he grasped onto Patamon's hope. Maybe…

They had come upon the mountain, and were now cautiously ascending. Matt couldn't help but spare a glance below at the mountain trails. He spotted a white speck of movement, and his hopes were soaring in an instant.

"MetalGarurumon, get down there!"

"Where?" The mega asked, slowing somewhat, looking for what Matt may have seen.

"That trail! I think I see TK's hat!"

The mech wolf dove suddenly, apparently seeing it. Matt heard his name from above, and looked up. Past the hair blowing in his face, he could see WarGreymon and Nefertimon following them curiously. MetalGarurumon pulled up to land, but Matt had jumped off before the mega had even touched the ground. The boy ran over, Patamon clinging to him in apprehension. Matt slid to his knees as he came upon the prized object. He picked up the hat gently, but as he closed his hand around it, his knuckles whitened.

"He's nearby," Matt said quietly, unaware that the others were already gathered around him.

Tai announced his presence with a prompt question. "Where?"

MetalGarurumon answered, "Probably up the slope, where his hat was coming from."

"Let's go." Matt was on his feet immediately. "We can't leave TK alone any longer."

The others nodded compliance, and they set off at a quick pace up the spiralling mountain trail. Matt insisted that they not go too fast, should they miss their target. The hat may have been a clue, but it was an awfully broad one. There was no way to tell just how near TK was.

A muffled explosion caught their attention.

"Mount up!" The digimon shouted.

MetalGarurumon led the trio. "I have a bad feeling that's what we're looking for!"

They sprinted off, bounding up the trail. Soon they stumbled upon a pitch-black patch of rock. There was no sign of what had caused the damage. There was no smell of smoke, nor any traces of ash. The rocks weren't charred; they were just darkened. The feeling of evil was in the air, but there was no enemy in sight. Matt looked around in every direction, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Something malevolent was nearby. No one could see what.

A shriek sounded in Matt's ear, and he started violently, heart racing. Patamon shot off from his shoulder, flapping frantically. It took Matt a split second to recover and refocus, but once he did, he saw what had caught the digimon's attention. A pale hand, limp on the ground, its owner obscured by the rocky terrain.

Matt sprinted after Patamon with a yelp, both of them catching concerned glances from the others. He shortly came to see what was around the corner, and when he caught his first glance of the sight, he hit an invisible wall. Eyes wide, Matt could only stare, unaware that he was hardly breathing.

He wanted to convince himself that that wasn't his brother lying before him, but the way Patamon was whimpering and crying out as he tried to wake his partner only solidified the truth in Matt's mind. That was TK's body, face down, one hand outstretched and the other cradling his own head.

The older brother's legs buckled, and he sank to his knees. Matt crawled forward on all fours, his breath coming in short gasps. He wanted to see his brother's face, but he was afraid to look.

A scream from Kari announced to Matt the others' arrival. The next instant, they were all crowded around him and TK, and then all movement stopped. They were all in shock. Silence settled down, leaving only Patamon's small cries and Kari's sobbing to fill the air. Matt's heart pounded in his ears; he felt his eyes beginning to burn. Izzy, Mimi, Cody, Sora, TK… When would this nightmare ever end?

Matt finally reached forward and took hold of TK's shoulder. Slowly and gently, albeit shakily, he turned his brother onto his back. TK's head was now in Matt's lap, and the older brother held him fondly. Matt's eyes widened further as he scanned TK's broken state. His shirt was red. Dirty, tattered, wet and crimson. Matt placed his hand over his brother's heart, and looked into TK's face.

Seeing the pain forever etched into his brother's face, even after death, was the final overwhelming factor. Matt squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his throat close. He leaned forward and rested his head on his hand, and finally let the sobbing commence.

"Teek... Takeru... Why you? Why?" Matt whispered huskily.

At his words, the others finally reacted. Tai sniffled loudly, sighing with a shaky air. Kari, still crying, took her best friend's face in both her hands, and pressed her forehead against his, letting the tears flow.

Joe stood on unsteady feet. He had felt TK's wrist, and regretted it deeply. He could tell by the boy's face that he wouldn't wake up again, but instinct still drove him to feel. Why did he have to? The pulse wasn't there. He knew that before he even felt for it. What made him do it anyway?

He didn't want to stay there. He couldn't. He remembered TK's innocence during their first adventure. The skittish-turned-brave little boy who could possibly overpower any other of the Digidestined by the end of their adventure. And there he lay, dead. Joe found a strange fury begin to rise in him. He wanted to repay whoever did this to TK. Was this some kind of big brother instinct he was feeling? That's how mostly everyone began to treat TK over the course of their travels. He was the little kid everyone loved to be friends with, and wanted to be an older sibling to, despite some whining here and there. Now that the boy was killed…

Joe sighed heavily, feeling hot tears begin to rise up. For once, he wanted to storm the enemy. The death of a friend destroyed all sense of reason. He wanted a fight all of a sudden. He wanted to be rid of their opponent. The feeling unnerved him, but it was there. He couldn't let TK's death just pass.

The ground began to softly vibrate. Joe seemed to be the first one to notice it. He lifted his head, listening as the vibrations grew into trembles that caught the attention of the others.

"What now?" Tai said, irritated.

"They're coming," Joe replied quietly. He heard a growing roar, and knew the advent of trouble. It was another one of his instincts, and he hated being right. Yet the others had begun to rely on it. That was his first big push into confidence, long ago. Even now, the others took his foreboding seriously. Especially Matt. The blond carefully lowered TK's head back to the hard ground, and then was on his feet the next instant. He strode over to Joe, leaving Kari and Patamon to watch over TK. His face was dark as he spoke with venomous anger.

"Bring it. I wouldn't mind kicking some butt right now."

Joe, despite being a little surprised that Matt didn't use any stronger language, nodded in agreement. He returned his attention skyward, where the sound was coming from. "They've definitely got a welcome party waiting for them."

"That's right guys," Tai said, also standing. "Let 'em have it."

The teenagers may have been alerted to the coming of an enemy, but they were still caught off guard when it actually appeared. Megadramon was once again on the scene, shaking the air with its bellowing cry.

Matt replied with his own voice, shouting, "MetalGaraurumon, bring him down!"

"You're up too, WarGreymon! Show him what you're made of!" Tai followed up, not to be outdone by his best friend. The two megas raced up to engage the ultimate digimon. Megadramon replied with a straight up attack.

"Darkside Attack!"

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon dodged out of the way of the torrential missiles, and watched them crash into the side of the mountain above the children.

"Guys," Joe said as he noticed the rocks begin to crumble and fall down. "We better get out of here."

"Kari! Come on!" Tai yelled, watching his sister still kneeling by TK as debris fell around her. An especially large rock was falling right down on her.

Patamon cried out, charging towards her. "Watch out, Kari!"

He barrelled into her, knocking her out of the danger zone and taking the brunt force of the falling stone instead. The rookie came to rest, dazed from the impact. Tai had come up to Kari. "Hurry, let's get out of the way. That attack tore up this side of the mountain pretty bad."

Kari scooped up Patamon's now limp form as she and Tai hurried up the slope, and Matt meanwhile dove in and hastily picked up TK. He wasn't going to leave his brother to be smashed to bits under the breaking mountain. Megadramon's attack still hadn't ceased, as the dragon continued to fire in its defence, holding off the two megas momentarily. The next stream of missiles ate into the mountain face beneath the teenagers.

"Come on, you two!" Tai called up to their fighting partners. "Finish him off!"

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon threw off all restraint, and charged blindly forward, readying their attacks.

"Terra FORCE!"

"Metal WOLF Claw!"

Megadramon dodged the fire only to find itself engulfed by the ice. The digimon couldn't withstand the power, and its data had long dispersed by the time MetalGarurumon's attack died away.

Yet it didn't end there. Another roar came from below, and Gigadramon flashed passed, hastily ascending the mountain. It barely gave the Digidestined a glance. Matt called out to their partners. "Go after him! Make sure he doesn't get to where he's going!"

The two megas complied, and raced up after the troublesome digimon while the teenagers and Nefertimon continued on foot. Joe couldn't go long without expressing more foreboding thoughts.

"Why do you think Gigadramon was in such a rush?"

"Scared to death of us?" Tai replied, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood. He sighed a moment later. "Nevermind... Sorry..."

It took a minute for anyone to formulate the next sentence. Joe was the first to break the ice again.

"Honestly, I think we should be hurrying too. I mean, after all, the ground..."

Their attention drifted to the increasing unstableness of the path. It seemed the whole mountain was still vibrating.

"I don't like this quaking." Joe continued, "What if the mountain's falling apart?"

"You really think Megadramon did that much damage?" Tai asked, not sarcastically.

Joe nodded. "Yeah, I don't like the feel of this."

"There really isn't much more we can do until the digimon return. Gigadramon must be really leading them on a chase."

"What if that's what he's wanting to do? Maybe he's buying time for something."

"Like what?"

Joe didn't have to answer. The mountain did for him, with an enormous ear-splitting sound. Cracks lines the path on which they were walking.

"Get to the wall!" Tai cried out, taking extra care to see his sister safe. He didn't notice Matt behind him. The blond's footing was falling away from him, and the fact that he was still carrying TK didn't help his position. Joe reacted quickly, sprinting forward, diving, and just barely catching Matt before he fell. All the while he was calling for Tai's help, which soon came.

The situation was one of the most precarious they had ever been in. Tai held Joe pinned on the edge of the cliff, while the blue-haired one was grasping Matt's hand with both his own. Matt himself had his free arm wrapped around his little brother, hanging onto him like a life-line. Joe knew there would be no getting a second hand from Matt. He spoke behind to Tai.

"I've got him, can you try and help me get back on solid ground?"

Tai hesitated for a moment, knowing he didn't have the strength to haul up the weight of three teenagers. He glanced behind at a pale Kari and a white Nefertimon. He addressed the digimon. "I could use Gatomon's help."

The armoured creature dedigivolved into her normal champion form, and hurried forward. "What should I do?"

"Can you help me pull Joe a little bit back onto the cliff?"

"All the way onto the cliff would be nicer..." Joe commented.

"Sure, Tai," Gatomon reassured, and stepped forward. Both human and champion took one of the blue-haired boy's legs and pulled. It was rather excruciating work, especially for Joe, who was trying his best to keep a grip on a crazed-looking Matt. Soon, Tai was satisfied with Joe's position.

"Okay, hold him there?"

"No problem." Gatomon sounded over-relaxed. She was trying hard to keep cool.

Tai knelt on the side of the cliff next to Joe, and peered over.

"Hey, Kari?"

"Yeah?" Kari's voice was so weak and choked up, Joe noted. TK was still weighing heavily on her mind. One glance below him, and Joe knew that Matt was having just as hard of a time, if not worse.

"A little help?" Tai continued.

Joe heard her footsteps as she came up to the danger of the crag's edge.

"We need to get TK up first," the brother told his sister.

Joe felt her tension multiply, but she complied and knelt down next to him. Tai leaned over the edge, reaching for TK. Once he had almost lost his balance, but fortunately Kari was still alert, despite her apparent brokenness, and managed to steady him as he caught hold of TK. The process of pulling the boy up was rough, but they did it in time. Matt's turn was next. Tai took his friend's now free hand, and helped Joe hoist him up. By then, the blue-haired boy was exhausted, though the others left him there while they helped situate Matt, who was by now hyperventilating. Joe himself wasn't in any position to fall over the cliff, though caution was high priority. He could easily pull himself away from the edge and over to the others. But he took two seconds to catch his breath and let his arms relax.

Two fatal seconds. He had lowered his guard, and though his instinctive uneasiness was normally warning enough to him, he didn't take the moment to check his surroundings. The others had backed against the mountain face, Tai and Gatomon focusing on calming Matt while Kari was again watching over TK's body. Joe didn't realize that no one was standing nearby, until he was falling and wasn't stopping. More of the unstable cliff had broken, and again it took a Digidestined with it.

Joe screamed out for help, hoping his friends would react in time. His fall was rapid, and he had twisted his body so that he was facing upwards, watching for any hope of rescue. Though his descent blurred nearer objects with its speed, he knew he had several precious seconds before he reached the bottom of the cliff. Above him, where the others were, he saw the glow of digivolution, and the white digimon Nefertimon dove down after him.

The blue-haired boy was encouraged, but at the same time was sceptical. With all the boulders and debris falling around them, it would be hard for the armour digimon to reach him. His last hope was deprived, suddenly, by the roar of a returner.

"Gigabyte Wing!"

The blow drove Nefertimon off course and into the crumbling mountain wall. Realization struck Joe with a similar hit. His heart sank as his mind harboured a single, morbid thought. They wouldn't reach him in time. Joe closed his eyes. Nefertimon's momentum had all been lost, and by the time she built it back up again, Joe would have finished his descent. It was already too late.

Joe, for once in his life, took to freefalling with a straight face. He had regrets already. A life full of potential had been taken from him. His friends. He had never really said goodbye to TK in his mind yet. His brother and family. His parents had put so much money into setting him up for a successful life. It wouldn't be fulfilled.

But he kept himself together, refusing to break down during his last moment. Soon, the darkness surrounding him became more than what was behind closed eyelids. He had landed.

* * *

><p><em>Updates, both on this and my other stories, should come a bit more frequently now, if I'm fortunate.<em>

_Till next time, please review! They are my main motivation; thanks especially to Reddiamond29 for reminding me that I totally left this story hanging..._


	7. Stand Out

_Alright readers, finally managed to get this one done._

_It's a nice and longER chapter, so read on._

* * *

><p><strong>Stand Out<strong>

Yolei cradled her digimon close, rocking back and forth with worry. She had given up screaming for him to wake, and now only waited, nerve-wracked and impatient. Hawkmon had to come back to consciousness soon. After all, between the three Chosen children, there was only one digimon to watch over them, and that was Palmon. It didn't paint a very positive picture for them, as the plant digimon was sitting idly by, secluded in her sorrows.

Davis and Ken both posted themselves sentry over their respective digimon, waiting for one or the other to wake. It had been several minutes since Matt and Kari had taken off after the enemy, and since then all had fallen silent. The forest had become a menace in the short time they had stayed under its cover; it seemed to become larger, and its shadows more deep. It felt like they were being hemmed in on all sides, even though there was no sign of life anywhere. It was silently agreed between the children that as soon as they had enough cover from the digimon, it would be time to get out.

Veemon was the first to open his eyes.

"Hey, buddy," Davis said quietly to his partner. He had previously screamed himself hoarse over the course of the battle and in his attempts to revive Veemon. In the end, he had reached that same exhausted point as Yolei. Davis waited patiently for Veemon to acknowledge him; yet, the blue rookie's eyes drifted around, disoriented.

"Hi there," Veemon said. "Can you get my head out of the vice?"

Davis frowned, remembering the blow to the head his partner sustained. "It's okay, Veemon. You just got one heck of a headache. Take it easy."

"Mmm…" Veemon mumbled, closing his eyes. Davis finally took his eyes off the rookie, and checked on the others. Yolei still held tight onto Hawkmon, Palmon wandering over to her side for company. Ken was in the same position as the girl, trying to coax Wormmon awake. Davis saw the panic in his friend's demeanour. He looked back down to Veemon.

"How do you feel?"

"Oh hi, Davis. I feel fine."

"Can you get up?"

"No problem," Veemon replied overenthusiastically. He managed to rise to his feet, but when he tried to take a step forward, he tripped on his toes and fell flat on his stomach. The rookie gave a long, drawn-out groan. "Why d'you push me?"

The goggle head sighed. "Sorry I mentioned it. Take it easy, you hear?"

"Mhmm…" Veemon replied again, not moving from his spot. Davis walked over and knelt by Ken.

"How's Wormmon?"

The raven-haired boy replied with a shaky voice. "He's not waking up, Davis… I can't get him to wake up."

"He just needs some rest, that's all."

"He's never been out this long before."

"Ken." Davis said firmly, getting his friend's attention. "He'll be alright."

"Hawkmon!" Yolei exclaimed nearby.

The rookie soon replied weakly. "What are you screaming about now, Yolei?"

Davis stood, encouraged. The sooner the digimon recovered, the sooner they could follow Kari out of this place. He came back over to where Veemon still lay.

"How are you now?"

"I feel like I got hit in the head with a dragon's hammer."

Better, in other words. Davis checked in on Yolei. Hawkmon was already standing, albeit unsteadily.

"Remember, Yoleiiii…" the bird digimon tried to reassure his partner, still dazed. "We heal quite fast."

Hawkmon teetered suddenly to the side, but was caught and held up by Palmon. The rookie scratched his head with a feathered finger.

"If we only had Gatomon to fetch catnip for us."

"Who needs catnip?" Veemon asked, suddenly showing himself to be standing under his own power.

"Right on, dude," Davis said with a smile. "You're all right!"

"Yup!" The rookie replied, balling his hands into fists. "Gimme a couple minutes and I'm ready for another fight!"

"Be careful of your words, Veemon," Hawkmon stated matter-of-factly. "We don't want unnecessary trouble."

"Especially with Wormmon like this," Ken said as he approached, his voice small with fright. He was still carrying his digimon. "He's not even stirring."

Davis' posture slouched in dismay. He glanced around uneasily. It felt like the very trees were ready to pick a fight with them. As if Woodmon and Cherrymon would appear out of nowhere and attack. The thought settled uneasily in his mind, and he grew edgy. He looked over the group. Hawkmon and Veemon were standing alert now. It was apparent they were finally good to go. Palmon was in fighting condition, though her countenance suggested otherwise. Ken carried the still form of Wormmon. How hard had the little digimon been hit?

The goggle head made up his mind. It was time to get a move on. They could take turns carrying Wormmon if Ken wished, but for now, he felt responsible for getting the group out of the area. Responsibility never weighed so heavily on his mind before… it was strange for him, but he steeled himself and said to the group, "Let's get going. We're sitting ducks here."

He set off in the direction he remembered Nefertimon leaving by. Veemon followed at his side, while the others lagged behind a few steps. Through breaks in the thin tree canopy he saw the tall spire of Infinity Mountain standing a few degrees to the left of their course. Following a tried-and-true instinct, he set his steps towards the mountain. Maybe that's where the dramon's base was, or at least where they would be taking Cody. Cody… Davis suddenly felt a pang of worry rise in him. He felt responsible for the shorty as well. And then there was TK… still out there somewhere.

Davis slowed his pace, and then gradually stopped.

"…Dav—"

"Shh!" The goggle head ordered, holding a finger to his lips. He was listening. The others heard his shush and stopped as well, keeping quiet. They strained to hear anything filtering through the woods. Anything. Davis wondered how long ago it had been since TK's last cry. He felt a sick worry sink into his stomach. He was accountable for TK too. He was for them all.

At this point, Davis wasn't listening so much to his surroundings as he was to his own thoughts. There were people dying in this fight: their own friends. It was a shock to him; he was brought back to the reality of it all. If they didn't hurry and find TK and Cody, it would be Izzy and the others all over again. Davis glanced at the others behind him, and realized it was only Yolei and Ken who looked back. How had they become so few? His two companions were waiting for his lead; it was his call. Davis never felt so much pressure before. Or rather, if he did, he had been ignoring it until this instance. The sense of urgency rose, and he resumed walking. The others faithfully and wordlessly followed. No one felt like talking. No one really needed to. It seemed as if they already knew what was on each other's mind.

Davis saw a moving form in the trees ahead, and stopped again. "Veemon," he whispered. "See it? Get ready."

"Right." The rookie stood forward, poised to fight. Palmon and Hawkmon noiselessly joined him. The entire group tensed up and waited until the figure came into the open. It hadn't sensed their presence, and so stumbled noisily into view.

A Gostumon. A very battered-looking one.

"An enemy?" Davis asked quietly.

"Not unless we pick a fight with it," Hawkmon replied, relaxing his posture.

The group carefully approached to greet the newcomer.

"Hey there!" Davis called, waving a hand. The Gotsumon turned to them with a start, immediately being thrown into some sort of panic. It hastily attempted a getaway, which was short lived as it got itself caught in the underbrush. Davis and Veemon ran over to help disentangle the rookie. The goggle head said with a chuckle, "Sorry if I scared you. We don't want to fight."

"Well… You'd be the first," replied the Gotsumon, still shaking with fear.

"What happened to you?"

"My town was razed by BlackWarGreymon's armies."

"BlackWarGreymon?" Davis exclaimed, incredulous. "I thought he was destroyed this whole time."

"This may be a different one, Davis," Veemon pointed out.

The Gotsumon stood. "Are you looking for anyone?"

"Yeah, actually…" Davis replied hesitantly.

"How did you guess?" Yolei cut in sharply. "What do you know?"

The Gotsumon lowered its head. "One of my friends came into the forest with a human and a Birdramon to rescue me from the armies."

"Birdramon?" Yolei said, stepping forward. "Was it a girl? A red-head? Sora?"

"A red-head, yes. They killed her. My friend and the Birdramon dove right down into the enemy to try and avenge her, but…neither of them…" The Gotsumon trailed off.

A quiet moment passed before Yolei ventured to speak. "So that means… Biyomon… She didn't make it either." The girl lifted her face and picked up her voice. "I'm _sick_ of this! It has to end now! Come on Davis, Ken. We've got to do something about it!"

"We're doing what we can, Yolei," Ken replied softly. His voice was steadier, but it still didn't carry any confidence. Davis shot him a glance, and saw that Wormmon still hadn't moved in Ken's arms. Yolei stormed by, following the way to Infinity Mountain.

Davis began to go after her, but looked over at the Gotsumon. "You want to come along?"

"What is your plan?"

The goggle head hesitated, unsure of himself. He sighed, "Something."

The Gotsumon thought for a minute, and then shrugged. "Better than nothing."

The troop, the remnant of the second generation, resumed their course with new arms to help in their mission. The mountain seemed as tall and imposing as their current situation, but the addition of Gotsumon came as a great encouragement to Davis. There was hope for more recruitment, and they just might build up the odds in their favour. It would just take time.

The appearance of yet another new digimon soon proved that time was not on their side.

"Cerberumon!" Gotsumon exclaimed about the digimon that stood in the children's way. Davis looked at the rookie.

"Do you know about him?"

"Nothing really, but I would guess he's one of the commanders, so more enemies may be nearby."

"Right you are," chuckled Cerberumon in a gravelly voice.

"Veemon!" Davis called, pulling out his D3.

Yolei pointed to Hawkmon, "You go for it!"

"Veemon digivolve to… ExVeemon!"

"Hawkmon digivolve to… Aquilamon!"

Cerberumon hummed to himself, as if the Chosen's actions were interesting. "You have quite the fighting spirit, if you still think you have a chance after losing so many."

"So many?" Ken asked, talking mostly to himself.

Davis lifted a fist. "I don't care if I'm the last one… I don't care if I have to fight with a stick! I'm gonna do whatever it takes to beat you guys!"

"Davis," Ken whispered into his ear.

"What!"

"Let's not be reckless again. We're no match."

Davis looked again and saw four champions come to back up Cerberumon. Two BlackGarurumon and two other dark dog-like digimon. It wasn't an encouraging sight, but Davis was already riled up for battle. "Come on, we've got to try."

"Listen, Davis," Yolei said, coming close to the two boys. "I know you wouldn't mind fighting until the end, but think about it. What if you get killed, and I end up being last? I don't want the weight of the world on my shoulders alone! Now let's go!"

Cerberumon roared with laughter. "You shaken up, children?"

Davis turned on the ultimate with a growl, but Yolei interrupted his would-be sentence. "Later, Davis! Everyone on Aquilamon!"

Ken called to him as he ran past, "Once Wormmon wakes we'll go to ultimate. We don't stand a chance until then. It'll be soon now… He's stirring!"

Davis sighed and jumped up on ExVeemon, and the group fled from there just as the enemy charged. Aquilamon and ExVeemon tried long and hard to lose their tail, but the five pursuing dog digimon held close chase. They would have to keep on going until Wormmon was recovered enough to digivolve.

It was torture for Davis. At a time like this, all he wanted to do was give something a good slug. Even if it meant punching the ultimate-level Cerberumon itself. He thought about what Cerberumon said that had caught Ken's attention. So many? As far as he knew, about three of the Digidestined were…gone. It was hard to believe they were truly dead, but at the same time, it still left nine more to work with. If they could find TK and Cody.

That was when it struck Davis. Where those two already gone? Was that was Cerberumon was really hinting at? Davis caught his breath as realization sunk in, and then he shook it off, almost violently.

"You okay, Davis?" ExVeemon asked.

"I refuse…" Davis mumbled to himself instead of replying. "I refuse to believe…" He lifted his head skyward. "Until I see them myself!"

Or until a fellow Digidestined told him so. He wouldn't take any information, true or not, from an enemy intending to kill them.

Davis looked down at their pursuers, and saw Cerberumon keeping close behind. He called over to Ken. "How's Wormmon?"

"Moving, but still out. He's hurting…"

Cursing, Davis pounded his fist on his thigh. He wished he had some rocks to throw down on the enemy running below. That would have been satisfying enough for the time being.

The group was coming out of the forest. A beach was up ahead, with the vast ocean beyond. Perhaps they could fly out to the water and wait, where the dogs couldn't chase them. It seemed like a good plan, and Davis didn't have ExVeemon change his course from the waters dead ahead.

And then he spotted something on the beach. A small white creature. He recognized it with a shock.

"Gomamon!"

The digimon turned to look, and stood stunned by the sight. Davis realized they had led the enemy right to Gomamon.

"ExVeemon," Davis ordered his partner. "Pick him up on the way."

The blue champion lowered his altitude to grab the little white rookie, but neither boy nor partner realized just how close the enemy was behind until then.

With a growl, one of the BlackGarurumon leapt up and caught ExVeemon by the leg, bringing him down. Davis flew off his mount and tumbled to rest beside a baffled Gomamon.

"What kinda party is this you got here?"

"Shut up and help!" Davis replied, brushing himself off. Aquilamon, meanwhile, came down to unload his cargo and aid ExVeemon. The blue champion had managed to throw off his assailant, but it would only be a short matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

"I got your back, pal. Ebidramon!"

Two huge champion digimon surfaced at the rookie's call and promptly engaged the enemy. It was their fighting chance. The digimon all cried out, respectively.

"Twin Scissors!" "Vee Laser!" "Blast Rings!" "Poison Ivy!" "Rock Fist!"

The majority of the first volley fell on a single BlackGarurumon, and his data dispersed.

"Whoa, dude," Davis breathed. "I like that attack better than your other one."

Gomamon glared at him playfully, "It's not an attack, genius. Those are my buddies. We stayed behind during the evacuation to keep an eye on whatever's going on.

"So, what've you been up to?"

Davis scratched his head uneasily. "Well, a lot. Oh, that's right, uh… Hey! Ken! How's Wormmon?"

The raven-haired boy made his way over with Yolei and set down the digimon carefully. "He's sort of coming to."

Davis took one look and agreed with his friend's diagnosis. The grimace on Wormmon's face was not there before. It meant the digimon was still in a great deal of pain. They would have to hold off a while longer before Wormmon was in shape for DNA digivolution. Davis looked up at the attacking digimon just as the enemy ultimate let out a huge blast.

"Emerald Blaze!"

The fire crashed into the Chosen digimon and their allies, throwing back the rookies and tripping up the champions.

"Who are these guys?" Davis exclaimed.

"Let's see, there's Cerberumon, BlackGarurumon, and then those two running forward are BlackGaogamon."

"Dash Double Claw!" The two shadow digimon growled in unison.

The Ebidramon jumped forward in reply, "Twin Scissors!"

While that fight ensued, Cerberumon had a clear alley opened up for him to the children. He scanned over their group until his eyes fell on Wormmon. Letting out a sudden roar, he charged forward. Aquilamon dove low to try and drive him off course.

"Grand Horn!"

"Styx Killer," the ultimate replied with a slash of his claws. Aquilamon was clipped in the wing, and sailed out of control. He crashed to rest well out of range. ExVeemon stood forward with the rookies, but was suddenly engaged by the remaining BlackGarurumon. Cerberumon cleared out Palmon, Gotsumon, and Gomamon with one swipe of his claws.

"Wormmon," Ken murmured, his voice weak with panic as he watched Cerberumon approach madly. "Wake up."

"You…okay… Ken?" The little rookie finally said.

"I'm here; I'm fine Wormmon. But what about you? Can you fight?"

"Once I can...move… I'll fight…"

Ken looked up at their enemy. "Please. Make it quick."

Wormmon moaned in reply, his body tensing up. Ken still had his eyes trained on Cerberumon.

And then _she_ stood in front of it. Her actions stopped the ultimate short. He was confused.

"You _monster_!" Yolei screamed at Cerberumon's face. "What do you want with us?"

The shadow digimon tilted his head with a chuckle. "Oh, I have my reasons."

"Why? Tell me! I don't want to die for some stupid excuse, do you understand?"

"Yolei!" Came Aquilamon's deep voice, filled with alarm.

The girl stood her ground, glaring angrily at her enemy in the eye. Cerberumon lifted his head as if in deep thought. "I don't quite understand, child. My reasons for killing can be entirely different than your reasons for dying. I'm willing to kill for a position of power and respect among BlackWarGreymon's forces. You may be willing to die to save this world."

Cerberumon paused and lifted one of his huge paws to scratch his head casually. The situation had become fragile and delicate. One false move could set off the enemy ultimate. The Chosen looked on breathlessly at the exchange. Wormmon was fully awake now, but even he didn't even think of moving, and instead stared on along with the others. Only one was desperate to make any sudden moves.

"Grand Horn!" Aquilamon roared, diving straight for Cerberumon.

The ultimate, with his claw still raised, merely turned his head to watch while one of the BlackGaogamon abruptly jumped in front of the coming blow. The shadow digimon was gravely injured by Aquilamon, but still managed to drive the crazed Chosen off course for just enough time. Cerberumon chuckled and returned his gaze to Yolei.

"Sacrifice. That's one thing you children have taught me that has turned out to be quite effective." Cerberumon sighed, "I'm not in the mood to kill for power right now. But," he said with a glint in his eye. "I'm willing to kill the brash little idiot who called me monster to my face."

The ultimate suddenly thrust forward his suspended claw, running the blades on his hand right through the girl in front of him.

"And I hope you're willing to die as a brash little idiot," he finished with a growl as he retrieved his bloodied paw.

Yolei fell back with a short, though gut-wrenching scream. Her cry was accompanied by Aquilamon shooting forward with another shout, along with Davis and Ken yelling after in shock and dismay. Chaos ensued.

"Wormmon, go!" Ken said, getting to his feet and running after Yolei.

"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!"

Cerberumon turned to face Ken. The boy didn't stop his course for where Yolei lay. There was a flash of yellow from above, and then Hawkmon fell down in front of him.

"ExVeemon!"

"Stingmon!"

"DNA digivolve to… Paildramon!"

The injured BlackGaogamon hurried to engage the new Chosen in an attempt to preoccupy him.

Ken meanwhile skidded to a stop when he saw Cerberumon take a step towards Hawkmon. The rookie acted oblivious to the beast looming above him as he crawled towards Yolei, desperate to be by his partner. She was still alive, as could be seen by her weak squirming. She had curled up on her side, the only sign of her breathing being the short, irregular sobs.

"Yolei," Hawkmon gasped in a rasping voice. He stretched out a wing and placed his feathered hand on the girl's shoulder. "I can feel it… Y-your pain… Yolei, I'm…so s-sorry you have to hurt so…"

"Be quiet," Cerberumon said quietly as he brought his claw down on the rookie. The power behind the strike was enough to shatter Hawkmon's form, and that was that.

Paildramon let out an enrage shout, and dealt a fatal blow to the BlackGarurumon that had been pestering him. He jumped into a sprint, extending his fists.

"Cable Catcher!"

The wiring sprang forward, ensnaring Cerberumon and stopping him in his tracks. Paildramon dove into the immobilized shadow digimon, hoisting him up and throwing him far. The dragon didn't stop, but instead continued to pursue the shadow digimon's tumbling form.

Ken found his feet, and ran to Yolei, sliding to his knees once he reached her side. She was oblivious to his arrival.

"Yolei," Ken said quietly, fear choking his voice. He reached and took her shoulder, and turned her onto her back so that her head rested in his lap. "Yolei, can you hear me?"

Her eyes only opened halfway at their fullest, and hardly focused on anything. Ken forced himself to look at her wound, but couldn't keep his eyes on it for long. It made him want to vomit. He just watched her face wander aimlessly. Next thing he knew, Davis was kneeling on Yolei's other side. He turned pale at the sight of her.

"Ken…"

The raven-haired boy snapped his attention to Yolei. "I'm here."

"He was right…wasn't he?"

"What?"

"Some idiot I am…"

"No, he was wrong, Yolei. You won't die an idiot. You put your life on the line for me and Wormmon. You would die a saviour, if anything."

Yolei's face relaxed. "You…mean it…?"

Ken gently slid her helmet off and laid his hand on her head. "I mean it. I owe you one." He forced a smile as her eyes rested on him.

The girl let a small grin cross her face in reply. "Tell you what… To repay me…just do what you do best, okay?"

"Don't you worry about that, Yolei."

"Tell Davis to do the same," she continued, unaware of the goggle head sitting right next to her.

"You know me, Yolei!" Davis said, making his presence known. "Nothing's gonna stop me."

Yolei closed her eyes, satisfied. She was apparently beyond the point of pain, though her breath was getting shallower and shallower. Suddenly, her eyes opened and drifted around, searching.

"Ken? Where d'you go?"

"Relax. I'm sti…" Ken's voice trailed off. Her eyes had stopped moving, and were now fixed. Her bloodied chest didn't rise or fall with respiration. "Yolei?"

He knew the truth though. There would be no further response.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, snap...it's just dawning on me how few are left now...it's depressing...<em>

_But that doesn't mean I'm putting this down at all. I'll see you next chapter!_

_Hopefully after a few reviews *hint, hint*_


	8. Echoes of Kindness

_Ok, so that took a long time. Sorry. My fault for going ADD for a couple weeks. Still kinda am. I mean, have you ever listened to the memorial version of the Biggest Dreamer? I love it. Cyberdramon sings. It's not quite as cool as my dog is though... Well, maybe, but I dunno. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go watch a couple Japanese subs of Tamers. Or the whole season, preferably. And then look up the memorial version. On YouTube. Or if you like your pet better go take it for a walk._

_Forget that. Read on._

* * *

><p><strong>Echoes of Kindness<strong>

Ken stared long at Yolei's face as he waited for those unseeing eyes to blink. Or flicker. Or make any sort of movement. Nothing else held his attention. Not even the gradual silence of the ending battle around him as the Chosen finally gained a victory. If this could even be called a victory. Cerberumon had escaped. Yolei was slain. There was hardly anything won. It was just loss. Unbearable loss.

He held Yolei's body close, cradling her head against his chest. It didn't have to be her. It shouldn't have been her. He would have much rather taken the blow from Cerberumon himself than just sit and watch her writhe in agony. He was the target, after all. It should have been him that received the death strike from their enemy. Ken rested his head on top of Yolei's, letting his tears drip into her hair. He wanted out of this war already, even though hardly any time had passed. This was beyond them. Hardly a day had passed, and already the Digidestined's numbers had been severed almost in half. As far as he knew, four were gone. Four! As Ken watched over Yolei's body, fear came over him. Ice-cold, panic-ridden, gut-wrenching fear. A sinking depression and foreboding. What hope was there that TK and Cody weren't gone either? Yolei...the girl he had asked out on their first date only a week beforehand. The girl whose family he was going to have dinner with this very evening. He would be late. She would never show up. The fact that one of his greatest friends was now lifeless in his lap only made this surreal reality more inescapable.

They had to regroup as soon as possible.

But then what? Doubt worked its way throughout every corner of Ken's mind. If so many of them had been broken in so little time by such forces as Cerberumon's, what were the chances of them standing up to the real enemy? Even if they were all together… Ken couldn't stand to see anyone else lose their life in this battle. He wanted out. He wanted desperately to escape.

But this was the Chosen's battle, and he was one of them. Their lives were tied to the Digital World from the very moment they met their partners. There wasn't any escaping it. Perhaps that's why they were actually dying. Perhaps this was the destiny of the Digital World. Maybe it was on its own road to death as well. Ken didn't want this world to die, and yet, he didn't want any more of his friends to meet their final battle here either. His friends… The ones who showed him the way back to kindness. His second chance came from their compassion and devotion. The least he could do is continue the gesture, staying by their side. Despite being clueless as to what they were actually facing…

A hand squeezed his shoulder, bringing Ken out of his thoughts. Davis was kneeling beside him, draping an arm around his shoulders and trying his best to be of some comfort. Neither of the boys had anything to say. Ken brought his attention up to their surroundings. Paildramon, Ebidramon, and the rookies were sitting by, alert though saddened by the loss. Ken remembered Hawkmon, and the pang of despair shot through him once more. He looked down into Yolei's brown eyes for a long moment.

He slowly reached up and gently closed her eyelids, a symbol of finality. He then lowered his head, his feelings overwhelming him once more. A giant sob shook his body, but that was all. His breathing still quivered; tears still streamed down his face, but his mind cleared. They couldn't stay here forever.

After carefully laying Yolei back down on the hard ground, Ken slowly stood. Davis got up alongside him, and Ken grabbed his best friend's shoulder for support. The two boys gazed at their friend for at least another minute.

"Yolei," Davis said quietly. "Believe it or not, I'm going to miss you."

Ken had no words. He bowed his head and closed his eyes in an attempt to drown out his surroundings and find some kind of peace.

But peace just couldn't be found in the Digital World. Not with the way things were happening. There was a sudden, though short-lived cry behind the two.

All heads turned to the direction the sound came from, but all they saw was Gomamon, staring listlessly out at the horizon of the ocean. Davis and Ken exchanged a glance, and then walked over.

"Gomamon?" Davis said as they came up beside the rookie. "What was that?"

"Are you okay?" Ken asked quietly as he sat at Gomamon's side. Palmon came as well to be with her former comrade. The little white digimon was lying flat on his stomach with his chin in the sand. His eyes showed a hint of concern, but there was mostly apathy on his face. The digimon's big green eyes shifted to meet Ken's.

"I dunno. It was weird. It hurt though. Almost felt like I would pass out, but then it was gone."

"What was gone?" Davis asked.

"The pain. It felt horrible," replied Gomamon. "But now… I don't feel anything at all."

The terror that Ken had felt earlier came back full force. He remembered how digimon often shared the feelings of their partners. Could Joe be feeling such pain, then? Ken stared at Gomamon while the digimon returned his gaze to the ocean.

"Gomamon?"

"Hm," the digimon merely grunted in reply.

"What did you feel before the pain?"

"Just…sad. And then afraid," Gomamon said quietly and sombrely.

"And then the pain…" Ken continued, his voice taking on the same tone.

Gomamon turned his head sharply to make eye contact with the raven-haired boy. "I know what you're thinking, buddy. It crossed my mind too, but I'm not going to believe it until I see the kid myself."

The white digimon turned back to watch the horizon slowly turn colour with the coming sunset. His face slightly brightened after several moments.

"This looks promising."

"What?" Davis asked again.

"It's Tentomon," Gomamon replied, lifting a flipper to point out over the waters. "And he looks like he has some friends with him."

The group gave their attention to the sky over the ocean, looking for the insect digimon. At first, there only seemed to be several large dramon that were flying above the sea. Tentomon would be too small to pick out at this distance. Ken took an uneasy look at Gomamon, but the seal digimon's expression was one of relief.

"So, what's going on, Gomamon?"

"Most of the peaceful digimon have fled and gathered on the continent Server." The digimon looked up at Ken with a smile. "Tentomon went with most of those evacuating this island to see if he could gather some recruits. He left me and the Ebidramon to hold at least some sort of lookout while he was away. Looks like the wait's over."

Ken once again glanced at the approaching group of digimon, and saw how fast they were coming. He could already make out several other shapes that weren't dramon among the ranks, as well as some waterborne digimon. To think that these digimon were coming to fight by their side was comforting for Ken. He could tell with one look that Davis was thinking along the same lines. The goggle-head was getting edgy.

Within minutes, the assembly of digimon had reached the shore, and, true to Gomamon's word, Tentomon was at the lead. The insect digimon literally dropped out of the air once solid ground was beneath him. Though no expression could be read on his face, Tentomon's entire body language suggested that he was exhausted. The first words from the digimon confirmed his state.

"Ohhh… I could never have flown that whole way. I shouldn't have even tried. Thank you kindly for helping, Parrotmon!" Tentomon finished, looking up at the huge, green bird digimon that landed beside him. Parrotmon simply nodded his reply.

Ken and Davis stood back in awe as they watched the entourage gather on the beach. There were at least five ultimates, three of these being dramon. There weren't any the two boys knew. They didn't recognize the other digimon. But it was a formidable force. There was even one that seemed powerful enough to be a mega.

Soon Tentomon took to flight and began the introductions. "Look at me, Gomamon! I made it back in one piece."

"I won't say I had my doubts."

Tentomon went on. "Well, I've got everyone I could. Please pay your respect to our new commander, Eaglemon, mega level!"

It was a mega, then.

"Let's see here, I've already mentioned Parrotmon. The dark one with the red wings is Cyberdramon. The big blue one is Wingdramon. The blue guy with red wings is AeroVeedramon. A fine bunch of ultimates if you ask me. We've got our old friend Piximon, back from Primary Village. The guy playing with the harpoon is…"

Tentomon's voice faded away, and his form turned still. He lifted one of his pincers, eventually, and slowly pointed.

"…is…that…?"

Ken followed the digimon gesture, and saw that Tentomon had noticed Yolei's still body. He quickly hung his head and averted his gaze, covering his eyes with a shaky hand.

"Yes," Davis gradually replied, his voice unsteady. "Yolei. She's gone."

"That can't be…" Tentomon mumbled. "This means…" The digimon suddenly gave a horrified cry and dropped again out of the air, bouncing around frantically on the sand. Any other day, the sight would be amusing. But today... "No! It can't be!"

Ken closed his eyes tighter as he felt a new wave of tears begin to surface. Tentomon still hadn't heard about…

"Izzy? I've had this terrible feeling that I've been trying to ignore." Tentomon said in a high-pitched, panicky voice. "But now… now… It just might be… Please, have you heard anything of him? Is he okay? Is everyone else all right?"

Ken left the speaking to the other boy.

It was some time before Davis found his voice. "No… He's…they… He didn't make it. Sora and Mimi are gone too. TK and Cody were taken, and Kari went on with Matt to search for them…" The boy's tone faded with each passing syllable as his eyes slowly lowered. "And now Yolei…"

Tentomon had now ceased all movement. He stared at the two boys in front of him with a shocked air. "And what of Tai? Or Joe?"

"We don't know for sure," Gomamon said quickly, his voice hardened with over confidence.

"Yeah," Davis followed up. "And it's probably a good time now to find out."

"Where are we going?" Ken asked as the goggle head turned to face the greying forest.

Davis glanced back at him with an overly determined expression. "Infinity Mountain!" He looked up to his jogressed partner. "Paildramon! We need to get there ASAP this time. Time to digivolve!"

The DNA digimon leapt up at his partner's command. "Paildramon mega digivolve to... Imperialdramon!"

"Let's go, Ken," Davis said to his best friend, his voice softening. "We've gotta move fast."

The raven-haired boy took another glance at their fallen friend. "What about her?" He asked in a small voice.

Davis sighed sadly. "We'll come back for her when this blows over, okay?"

Ken stared incredulously at the goggle head. Would this whole ordeal really ever blow over? Davis looked convinced that they would see this war through, but fear and doubt had been telling Ken otherwise. Still, in watching the confident air that Davis was carrying himself with, Ken forced himself to have some sort of hope.

He needed it, now that another explosion of sound disrupted the temporary peace. It was the din of rushing water, coming from some ways off the shore. Everyone's attention was now set on the sea as they faced their new opponent rising from the water.

"Alright! So this is where you were all headed in such a hurry, is it? Looks like you led me right to some choice Digidestined!"

"MetalSeadramon!" Exclaimed Gomamon, remembering the battles with the Dark Masters. He and Palmon had been stuck dealing with an ultimate level Scorpiomon, and it wasn't until they had reached ultimates themselves that they stood any chance. And then MetalSeadramon had come by and took Scorpiomon out with one move…

The new commander, Eaglemon, immediately took charge.

"Dramon! Accompany the children to the mountain. Thunderbirmon, Parrotmon, Piddomon. You go too." The great bird then addressed the two boys. "Go, Chosen! We will stay and fight this enemy for you. Get to your friends!"

"Thanks! You got it!" Davis shouted as he jumped up on Imperialdramon. Ken climbed up after him with Palmon, Gomamon, and Tentomon in tow. The raven-haired boy checked on the enemy one last time as Imperialdramon took to the air.

MetalSeadramon was enraged that they were fleeing, but seemed satisfied enough to engage the small army that stood in his way. The mega dramon had a force of his own, as a number of Divermon surfaced after him.

And then Imperialdramon was off. He flew far slower than his full potential in order for their new companions to keep up, but the group still approached the mountain at a rapid pace. Ken watched impatiently as the tall spire of the mountain grew closer and closer. He spotted something on the valley at the top of the mountain. A black spire. Not unlike the dark towers that littered the Digital World during the Emperor's reign. But it was far taller, and far wider. It had a size that could harbour deep dungeons and endless labyrinths. Ken found himself afraid again. He didn't want to approach that place. Its very presence suggested there was some dark lord that wished for dominion. He didn't want to face such an enemy again. One was enough for a single lifetime. Then again, perhaps his lifetime was over. Ken shut his eyes tight as the unwelcome thought passed through his mind. He couldn't be thinking like this, especially with Davis sitting beside him, still so full of faith.

They had just reached the valley at the top of the mountain when Davis pointed somewhere below.

"Right on time. There's some of the others just coming up the summit. I see WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. And Nefertimon!"

Imperialdramon landed, and the two boys immediately jumped off, eager to be reunited with fellow Digidestined. The group of two ran to meet the slow-moving group of three at long last. And yet, when they were all finally face to face, no words were exchanged.

Tai and Kari stood on either side of Matt, supporting the blond as he held a limp body. TK. Ken stared long at the paleness of TK's complexion. The blood that had soaked the side of his shirt. The signs of pain evident on his still face. Horrific. Matt sank to his knees, his face taking on an unfamiliar expression. In it was a blend of sorrow, anger, fear, disbelief, regret, insanity. But also, the look that the older brother gave his sibling was filled with tenderness, despite the sadness.

TK was dead, then. Ken's heart sank further in his growing despair at the realization. What now? Even TK had fallen victim to this terrifying force that had risen. What now?

As Ken stared, Davis stepped forward to kneel in front of Matt. He reached forward a shaky hand and placed it on TK's forehead. "…We'd be lost without you, TK."

There came an audible sob from Kari. Davis looked up at her and Tai. Patamon had roosted on the girl's shoulders, his big eyes losing their bright shine over the loss of his partner. Ken noticed that Armadillomon wasn't with them. He took that as an excuse to tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him, and looked around for the rookie. Armadillomon had come with the other three children, but had wandered off on his own. Ken watched the digimon's slow stroll in an attempt to preoccupy himself. It was better than watching TK's lifeless face. But when Ken saw just what Armadillomon was walking towards, shock struck him once more. The raven-haired boy slowly turned his body and began walking after Armadillomon. His footsteps were heavy and unsteady; he really wasn't conscious of his own movement. His eyes were fixed on Armadillomon and his partner.

They had been standing on a lookout point on the highest plateau of Infinity Mountain. The dark tower of their enemy was behind Ken, while the rest of File Island spread out before him. Or what was left of it.

And it was Cody who lay between him and the edge of the cliff. Ken watched Armadillomon approach his partner. The digimon looked over the boy with a trace of hope that he was still alive, but only ended up curling in a tight ball and snuggling close to Cody's body. It hit Ken like a tangible blow. It wasn't just four that they had lost. The Digidestined's numbers had truly been severed in half. Love and Sincerity, ended. Hope, as well.

The others had realized he had walked off, and now came to investigate. He didn't realize as they gathered around him, now with a renewed air of shock and terror. The line of Knowledge and Reliability was over too. Ken and Davis, however, didn't know this until Gomamon dared bring up the question.

"Joe?"

Heavy silence was all the answer needed for the rookie's simple query.

"I want to see him," Gomamon said. "Where is he?"

"At the bottom," Tai replied quietly.

"Of the mountain?"

The bearer of Courage nodded gravely. "He fell."

Gomamon's face darkened. "Who did it?" He barked, venting his sadness with anger.

"Gigadramon. He didn't last two minutes before we took him out."

"I'm glad of that," the white rookie replied with a shaky sigh.

Meanwhile, Ken and Davis had locked gazes, each sharing each other's feelings. Ken had his own idea of how bad the situation had got, but this was even worse. They were now at less than half.

Tai noticed the looks the DNA partners were giving each other, and ventured to ask, "Anything else we missed?" His voice was filled with a type of cynicism. He seemed to know the answer that was coming would shed more light on just how desperate their situation was. He really didn't have to ask. It wouldn't have taken him long to guess.

But Davis answered anyway, eventually. "Yolei… They got to her too."

Tai gave a loud, despairing sigh, while Kari completely broke down. She leaned heavily on her brother as she wept. There was just no emotional respite for any of them. The presence of the several ultimate-leveled recruits was a comfort somewhat, but in the face of this loss, only time would help them move on. And they didn't really have time.

So the five of them took a moment just to breath, and look out over the ravaged File Island. Davis put an arm around Ken's shoulders. Kari still leaned on Tai. Matt again sat on the ground with TK in his lap.

"It's up to us," Tai eventually said with a rare hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Davis gave his own input, with a little more hope in his voice. "None of our fights have been easier than the last. But each one is won in some way. We've got to find that way here. We have to. I know we can."

"So… You're saying it's time to get a move on?" Matt said in a hoarse voice. It had been the first time he had spoken since the deletion of Megadramon. He scooted forward on his knees, covering the last few steps to get to Cody, and laid his brother's body next to the smaller boy's. There the two DNA partners would rest. Matt sat back, his exhaustion undeniably evident. He stood anyway, and managed to keep himself tall and steady somehow. He was ready to move on. At least for now. At least until his brother was avenged. And his friends.

The five remaining Digidestined looked each other over a final time, and then nodded in unison. They were ready to reengage the fight, and with renewed fervor.

The enemy seemed to sense that they were prepared, for moments after their final resolution, the obsidian tower opened with the din of creaking gates. The enemy forces took several seconds to form just behind the doors, hidden in the darkness of the building. The Digidestined had set their battle line in an instant.

Imperialdramon stood forward, with WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon on either side of him. Cyberdramon, AeroVeedramon, and Wingdramon strengthened the line. The others, Piddomon and Parrotmon, stood just behind them, while the rookies lined up in front of the children. Thunderbirmon hovered overhead.

The first wave advanced: a horde of Vilemon.

"Blow 'em out of the water!" Davis called, new enthusiasm infusing his voice.

The three mega digimon simultaneously complied.

"Positron Laser!"

"Terra Force!"

"Grace Cross Freezer!"

The explosion was huge and ferocious as it swelled up, engulfing the base of the black building in its fire. Yet, when the area cleared, the tower stood unfazed, and a new line of enemy forces had replenished the Vilemon. Their numbers were many. Even though a great mass of the virus digimon were taken out, they still poured out of that dark gate. This time, along with the Vilemon, Baromon came stampeding into view.

The dramon fired up this time.

"Desolation Claw!" "Wing Blast!" "Dragon Impulse!"

"Positron Laser!"

Again, another dent in the enemy's line was made, though it was quickly filled by more reinforcements. Imperialdramon stole a glance back at his partners, waiting for a cue. Davis and Ken nodded their assent simultaneously. The dramon leapt into the air.

"Imperialdramon mode change to… Fighter Mode!"

Before the new digimon's feet had reached the ground, he had sent a revamped laser shot into the dark ranks. The blast had a more noticeable effect: less Vilemon were coming from the tower. Even so, this only meant more Baromon instead, and other different kinds of digimon. Musyamon. BlueMeramon. They all had at least one thing in common: they were virus digimon. The tower had been home to a frightening arsenal of these nightmare soldiers.

The new Imperialdramon dove right into the enemy ranks, cutting through any in his path. Soon, however, he was pushed back by the arrival of Cerberumon. Many Cerberumon. Ultimate level digimon began flooding out of the dark building to back up their gradually thinning champion comrades. Imperialdramon retreated, reformed his front, and charged into the fray once more. This time, he had the other two megas and Cyberdramon to cover him. Angewomon and AeroVeedramon, along with the rookies, stayed to watch over the children. Piddomon, Parrotmon, and Thunderbirmon kept the skies clear.

Ken gazed with awe and shock at all the Cerberumon that were engaging the battle. They were so numerous, and yet, it only took one to cut away a Digidestined. Could they really hold out against such a force? The familiar doubt rose up in him once more. They really couldn't win this, could they? They had become too few.

"You know," Davis suddenly commented after several minutes of fighting. "If we knew what we were trying to get at here, it might just make it a bit easier on us. Who are we fighting again?"

Tai responded after a moment of seemingly deep thought, "Some dark evil digimon trying to take over this world?"

That much was obvious, but the real question was how they would defeat this dark lord. How could he be reached? Ken thought back.

It soon occurred to him. He looked at the others.

"I remember, earlier, Cody mentioned something Izzy told him of an artefact Sora had…" Ken's throat closed and he winced. Why did he use names? Those three only had a place in memories now. It was heart-breaking; it was distracting. What he had to say could be the lead that the others were looking for. Ken forced himself to refocus, even though he was hurting, and even though the others were sharing his pain. "He said that we need to make sure the enemy doesn't get that artefact. It may have been a key to something. Megadramon and Gigadramon were a part of those searching for it."

Tai and Matt exchanged a glance, and then looked on at the battle.

"That was probably what Gigadramon was in such a rush for," Tai concluded.

Matt nodded. "Looks like they got the key. I don't think all these digimon are coming out of the tower itself. There may be some gate inside that was opened. A portal, maybe."

"Then our job is to lock it up again, right?" Davis asked.

"That may be the only shot we have at stopping this army." Tai agreed. "A very long shot… We've got to break into the tower somehow."

There was suddenly a great whoosh of flapping wings that sounded behind them. The children turned to see several Devidramon bearing down on them. The Digidestined turned to flee, but suddenly AeroVeedramon jumped above them.

"Stay together, children!" He shouted, "Wind Guardian!"

The protective barrier formed in the nick of time, and successfully held off the Devidramon's charge. Meanwhile, the other Chosen engaged the offenders.

"Super Shocker!"

"Boom Bubble!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

The recruits pitched in as well.

"Spark Wing!"

"Fire Feather!"

"Static Destroyer!"

Their combined efforts took out one and managed to injure a second dramon. The rest began to circle the group menacingly. Meanwhile, the wounded Devidramon came crashing to the ground, fully vulnerable. Its situation was bad; its entity was becoming unstable. The Chosen rookies took advantage of this and charged it while it was down.

"Diamond Shell!"

"Super Shocker!"

"Boom Bubble!"

All the while, Gomamon was scratching angrily at the dramon's red eyes with his claws until the being had fully dissolved. Ken saw the strange substance Devidramon turned into as it dissipated, and he took note of it. The remaining Devidramon prepared to dive again from above. It would be difficult for AeroVeedramon to maintain the shield under such pressure, but he still steeled himself for the coming blows.

"Mystic Break!"

A huge white beam passed overhead, enveloping the Devidramon and disintegrating them in one shot.

"Chosen!" Came the great voice again. The kids looked up to see Eaglemon descending on them, with three ultimate digimon in tow. "Digidestined, now is the time. You must hurry and get inside."

"Is there a gate in there?" Tai asked, stepping forward.

"Yes. A door to the world of chaos. It must be resealed."

"So we thought. But how are we supposed to do that?"

"In whatever way you can. But I have brought aid from the Digital Guardian."

"You mean Gennai?" Tai exclaimed. "The old man?"

"He lends to you power from the Digimon Sovereigns on their behalf."

"The Sovereigns' power? The stuff that allowed us to digivolve, right? Their digicores?"

Davis came up beside Tai, yelling up at the golden mega. "Why don't those Sovereigns come and fight with us themselves? We could sure use the help."

"This war is not so simple. The dark tower that stands behind you is only a central hub. There are four other towers standing in the far corners of the Digital World. One in each Sovereign's domain. They all have opened along with this tower, and evil now spews from them like it does here. If you want there to still be a world left here after you have resealed the gate, you must let the Sovereigns protect their lands."

The goggle head slumped and backed off in defeat. Eaglemon went on.

"And now, for what the Guardian sent me here for."

The mega stretched forth his arms, and two orbs formed in front of him. One was glowing with a white aura, and the other was a flaming red.

"Kamiya, Ishida, your digimon, please."

The two boys turned to the battle to call their partners.

"WarGreymon!"

"MetalGarurumon!"

In seconds, the two megas had returned and were situated. Eaglemon nodded.

"Here shines the DigiCore of Baihumon. For MetalGarurumon."

The white sphere floated forward to the mech wolf and suddenly blasted with light. MetalGarurumon was fully enveloped by the power.

"And here burns the DigiCore of Zhuqiaomon. For WarGreymon."

The red sphere came forth in a similar manner, and WarGreymon disappeared in the flames.

"You are now ready." Eaglemon finished.

Tai glanced at Matt. "You feel it?"

The blond nodded, and received a grin from the bearer of Courage.

"Well I'm definitely ready," the brunet exclaimed. "Let's do it!".

In reply, the two Chosen megas leapt up into the air.

"WarGreymon!"

"MetalGarurumon!"

"DNA digivolve to… Omnimon!"

The light of the DigiCores dispersed to reveal the white knight. The sight of the new digimon brought a smile to even Matt's worn face. And yet, Eaglemon wasn't quite done.

"And now for the second generation."

Ken and Davis exchanged looks with each other and the golden mega, and then understood.

"Imperialdramon!" Davis shouted. "Come on back!"

Like before, the Chosen digimon was faithful. He soon stood in front of Eaglemon, who had two more DigiCores out, one a static blue and the other a soft green.

"Two Sovereign DigiCores represent the power of Omnimon. I now give such power unto you, so that the white knights may fight side by side in this crisis. Receive, now, the powers of Ebonwumon and Azulongmon."

Again, there appeared a huge sphere of light. The light of digivolution.

"Imperialdramon mode change to… Paladin Mode!"

The light didn't exactly disappear this time. It condensed, rather, into a huge rod of power. A sword. The new, white-armoured dramon grasped his weapon and turned with Omnimon towards the black building.

"And now Chosen," Eaglemon wrapped up. "We fight."

The children were the first to spring into the action. Matt and Ken followed Tai and Davis, respectively, as they climbed up onto their partners' shoulders.

Eaglemon crouched next to Kari. "On me, child. Your partner will have more than enough on her hands as we get inside."

The child of Light looked to Nefertimon as she climbed up with Palmon riding on her back. "Go to ultimate!"

Nodding, the armour digimon reverted, and then advanced to Angewomon.

With the last piece set, the group charged forward. Eaglemon picked up Gomamon and Armadillomon as he passed them. The rest fended for themselves. They were a sizeable force now. On any other day, they must have been intensely intimidating. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and Omnimon were a wondrous sight by themselves. But then came Eaglemon, flanked by Cyberdramon and AeroVeedramon. Above them flew Angewomon, Parrotmon, Piddomon, and Thunderbirmon, while just behind came the three extra ultimates that Eaglemon had brought: Piximon, Hippogriffomon, and DinoBeemon. Not to mention the five rookies that were doing everything in their power to help. Even if it meant firing sporadically into the mass of dark digimon below them.

Imperialdramon and Omnimon kept at the head, clearing a path with their swords wide enough for the whole force to pass easily. In such a manner, the Digidestined plunged themselves into the pitch blackness of the obsidian building.

Within the walls, chaos awaited. The constant flashing of the digimon's attacks was enough to illuminate the room, but that only allowed the children to see that they were surrounded. And it was enough to see the three enemy megas that now challenged them.

The Dark Masters.

It made sense, being that MetalSeadramon had already appeared. Eaglemon's advent probably was a sign that the sea dragon had been defeated. It was time to finish the job. Omnimon sprang forward to engage his former rivals.

Behind him, Imperialdramon was ready to pursue, but a pillar of darkness shot up in front of him, and materialized into a new dark digimon. It resembled a knight. Possibly a cavalier, telling by the grey lance and shield it wielded.

"Who are you?" Imperialdramon growled.

"ChaosGallantmon," the new digimon replied with an amused chuckle. "Welcome to my playground."

"It's time we took over here," said Imperialdramon, readying his sword.

"Well!" ChaosGallantmon countered, "If this isn't a bully we have here, I don't know what it is!" The digimon shot forward to attack. "Falling Lance!"

Imperialdramon side-stepped the blow, and followed up with a sweep of his own blade. "Omni Sword!"

ChaosGallantmon successfully avoided the attack, though several of his own army were taken out in his stead. There was really hardly any room to manoeuvre without bumping into something. It was a chore for Davis and Ken to keep their perch on Imperialdramon's shoulders as the mega dodged and swerved about. ChaosGallantmon definitely had the upper hand in such a situation, soon tiring the white knight with his constant movement.

Charging up the positron blaster on his arm, Imperialdramon fired off several shots. He wasn't aiming very carefully; he was mostly trying to manipulate ChaosGallantmon's movements. The dark mega was growing clumsy from having to constantly dodge and leap out of the way. In the end, he ended up running right into Omnimon.

"Don't let him go!" Imperialdramon shouted to his companion.

Omnimon thrust out his left arm, the longsword stretching out to full length. He stabbed the blade into ChaosGallantmon's cape, holding the dark mega up in front of him without quite harming him.

But harm was on its way. Omnimon pressed the nose of the Garuru head against his enemy's back, and growled out, "Supreme Cannon."

The blast sent ChaosGallantmon screaming, reeling forwards where Imperialdramon was waiting.

"Omni Sword!"

The dramon held the sword forth, letting the sprawling ChaosGallantmon fall right on the point. The blade pierced the armour right through the symbol of the Digital Hazard. The dark mega dissolved on the spot, a sight that sent chills through Ken.

"Was that a real digimon?" He asked before realizing he was speaking.

"No," Imperialdramon replied. "If that was a true ChaosGallantmon, we would be able to feel the effects of this world breaking apart. The Digital Hazard would be taking place already."

"Digital Hazard?"

"Simply put, the destruction of the Digital World."

"That's what ChaosGallantmon represents?"

"That's what ChaosGallantmon _is_." Imperialdramon made a swift move to destroy an incoming WaruMonzaemon, and then continued with a deep sigh. "It is not the time to worry about such things. We have a threat enough already on our hands."

Ken nodded as he looked around at the raging battle. Eaglemon and his companions were strong fighters, successfully dealing with ultimates and champions by the handful. Their recruitment was vital to this fight. He spotted the five rookies, somehow, fighting for their lives amidst the darkness. While Kari could still ride on Eaglemon's back, with Palmon and Gomamon accompanying her, the mega needed all his hands to fight, and so had set down the two digimon he had been carrying and let them fend for themselves. Ken realized how grateful he was for those rookies, how proud he was to see them fight like they were. They teamed up so well, even if they couldn't reach any level higher than rookie. They were even managing to bring down strong champions and a couple ultimates by themselves.

Still, luck couldn't hold out forever. By the time Imperialdramon had come to aid Omnimon in the fight against the reborn Dark Masters, Ken noticed the rookies were drifting away from each other. Patamon and Armadillomon were coming gradually closer to where the real firepower was going off.

"Giga Cannon!"

With those words, the two dramon were locked in combat. Imperialdramon was hardly fazed by the shot, though the rumbling rattled his huge frame. Ken held on tight to avoid being thrown off. Though the battle grew intense, the raven-haired boy couldn't keep his attention from drifting again towards the two rookies that were fighting nearby. Ken's jaw dropped when he saw just how close they had come. The blast from Machinedramon's first shot had shaken the both of them up, and had actually knocked Armadillomon completely unconscious. Patamon had busied himself trying to drag his DNA partner to a safer place. Ken only stared. He stared as the orange digimon struggled to move his friend. He stared as Patamon's grip slipped and he tumbled backwards, still half dazed from the Giga Cannon's shock. He stared as a black claw appeared out of nowhere and slammed down on Armadillomon's still form. The golden digimon dissolved noiselessly from the impact. Ken subconsciously gave a short cry of disbelief as he watched.

Imperialdramon, knocked off balance as he was suddenly attacked by both Piedmon and Machinedramon, leapt to the ground to avoid a dangerous joint attack. Ken used the opportunity to leap off of the white knight and sprint towards a stunned Patamon. The little digimon was gazing wide-eyed at the spot where his partner disappeared, while a dark shadow fell over him. Ken came just in time, and dived towards Patamon, wrapping him up and carrying him out of the line of danger. The black claw struck the ground just behind him. Still holding Patamon, Ken stood and glanced back at their attacker. A lump grew in his throat. Devimon glared down at them for a moment before angrily charging.

"Give me that digimon!"

"No!" Ken refused, and sprinted in the opposite direction. Panic had taken over mostly. All that he knew now was that he had to protect his new charge. Patamon whimpered weakly in his arms.

"What are you doing, Ken?"

Ken sighed sadly, shakily. "What I do best, I guess."

There was a deep-throated shout that was shortly silenced: Machinedramon's final cry. Ken felt a short burst of pride again; he almost wanted to go back and encourage his partner and help him fight on. But the dark shadow now fell over him. He quickly ducked to the side to avoid the coming swipe, and the huge black hand of the devil slapped the stone floor right next to him. Ken realized then that he had been chased right into a corner. He crouched low as Devimon towered over him and Patamon.

"You still refuse… Foolish boy. I will get what I want. I've been searching for revenge all these years, and now it is almost in my hands. First the boy, and now his partner!"

That was a fresh shock to Ken. This Devimon had killed TK? That sealed the deal then. He wouldn't relinquish anything freely to this Devimon. He bent over lower, covering Patamon's small body in whole with his own.

"Ken, please," Patamon whined again. "No one beats you when it comes to kindness, but don't let yourself get killed."

"I've made up my mind, Patamon," Ken murmured softly. "This is for TK. I will not give up his partner to die. Devimon will get to you…over my dead body!"

The devil standing over him had heard, and scoffed at the two. "Fine, if that's the way we're doing this."

Ken realized the inevitability in his own words. He lowered his head as Devimon raised a hand. The strike came sudden. He was pressed hard into the ground as the devil's claws dug deep into his back, pierced straight through, and continued on. Over his own screaming, he heard Patamon's short cry, and then the small body beneath was gone. There was nothing now between Ken and the ground.

It wasn't long before he was fading. He heard shouts; perhaps the others had noticed what had happened to him. Perhaps another Dark Master had been taken out. He didn't care anymore. Patamon was gone. Gone. And he was still alive? Hardly. That didn't make a difference. Guilt flooded his last moments of consciousness as he regretted that final unkept promise.

The instant after his eyes closed, the room was washed with a soft yellow glow

* * *

><p><em>Waaah... This would normally be two chapters or so...but, I'm sticking to my pattern. It's just that... Ken's one of those few characters that I like that I actually don't want to see get hurt a lot. He's been through enough already. Took me a while to figure out what to do with him... And it turns out to be the longest chapter I have on record.<em>

_Anyway, feedback appreciated!_

_btw...jenrya's awesome in the memorial version..._


	9. Fighting For Friends

**Fighting for Friends**

It was the glow of dedigivolution, and Imperialdramon was enveloped by it. The huge form of the dramon shrunk significantly, leaving ExVeemon and Stingmon standing in a shock. It didn't stop there, though. The glow appeared again for a moment around the latter champion, and when that was over, Wormmon was all that was left. The digimon's eyes were wide and brimming over. He only managed to speak a single, shaky syllable, "K-K-Ken...?"

"Puppet Pummel!"

A hammer, appearing seemingly from nowhere, came down upon the little green digimon and smashed him into little bits of data.

"You!" ExVeemon roared, racing forward with fists raised. He unsuccessfully tried to land a punch on Puppetmon, but the mega leapt away in time, chortling with laugher.

"You sound like you're not enjoying this game."

ExVeemon growled angrily, "Am I supposed to, you heartless pipsqueak?"

"Please!" Puppetmon said, chuckling. "You flatter me!"

"Vee Laser!" Was the only reply the Dark Master received. Puppetmon danced easily out of the way, but in his carefreeness he was unaware of the remaining knight building up his power.

"Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon bellowed. The slash came in too wide and fast of an arc for Puppetmon to avoid. The remaining Dark Master exploded into a black cloud.

Unfinished, Omnimon held up his other arm, aiming in an entirely new direction. "Supreme Cannon!"

The bright missile soared off into Devimon's vicinity. The dark champion had already released his latest victim, and was now working his way towards the next Chosen rookie. Devimon was still quite far from his target. Far enough for Omnimon to safely unleash his anger on the chamion. Devimon, as well as several dark pseudo-digimon around him, was completely vaporised.

Davis, meanwhile, made his way steadily to where his best friend lay. He couldn't stand the sight of Ken lying there, hurt and alone. He had to be by him.

The terror of seeing Devimon run his friend through was still fresh on Davis' mind as he approached. He skidded into a sitting position by Ken's prone body, realizing just by the atmosphere that his friend wasn't really there. Ken had moved on. Davis sighed heavily, putting his face in his hands. Ken was lucky to be done with this fight. Davis for once in his life was ready to quit. What was a leader if he didn't have anyone to follow him? Ken was the last of them. Sure, there was Kari, but by now, she was back under the eye of her older brother. Those three were fighting as they would have fought during the Digidestined's first adventure. Davis only saw himself as the underling now. He was of the second generation; he didn't have what these guys had.

"Davis," came his partner's voice. The goggle head looked up to see ExVeemon standing before him. "I'm sorry, Davis, but we're moving up."

Davis looked back down at Ken. "What?"

"Eaglemon and his guys are staying down here to fight while we go on and find out who's behind all this."

"...what about Ken?"

"We can come back for him."

Davis took another deep breath. "That's what I told him about Yolei."

"Davis..." ExVeemon started, and the repeated in a far more alarmed tone, "Davis!"

The boy jerked his head up in response, and saw ExVeemon leap over him and cover him. The ground then shook with what the boy could only assume to be enemy fire.

"Desolation Claw!"

That was Cyberdramon, Davis knew. Was he the one attacking them?

"Come on, Chosen. Your friends are already on the move."

"Thanks," ExVeemon said simply as he stood, picked Davis up, and flew on after Omnimon. Maybe it wasn't Cyberdramon, then. Davis never really figured out what had attacked them. Things had begun moving too fast.

Eaglemon had apparently sent the three ultimate dramon to help once again, as Davis noticed that Kari was riding on AeroVeedramon, and the remaining rookies had mounted up on Wingdramon. Cyberdramon flew side by side with ExVeemon. The entourage of the Digidestined hurried on up a huge flight of stairs to the next level, making haste to avoid being attacked again. They promptly reached the second floor, and all went silent. It was dark and quiet. No enemy awaited them. Just long corridors with numerous doors lining the halls. Most of them were sealed shut.

The Digidestined went on warily, unsure if they were walking into an ambush. With such wide walls, though, it would be hard for the enemy to trap them here. Still, the silence was uneasy enough to keep them on alert.

Matt had soon lost track how many turns they had made through these halls. He just wanted to get where they were going and get it over with. Unfortunately, that was rarely the answer for them. The group trudged on.

The blond was the first one to notice the change in scenery. One of the doors in the side of the corridor was unlocked and ajar. He slowly made his way towards it. Cyberdramon suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Just in case," the dramon said in his coarse voice. Matt nodded in understanding and waited as Cyberdramon stepped forward and pushed the door all the way open. Nothing happened.

Matt peered in from behind the grey dramon.

The hallway was dim, but still held enough light to shed a ray of visibility into the dark cell. For that was what it was: a prison cell. It took a moment for Matt's eyes to adjust, but he managed to focus on something. Red hair, tattered and stained by…...by what?

Matt's stomach suddenly turned sickeningly as his heart jumped into his throat. He turned his gaze away from the sight in that cell, covering his mouth with a hand. Horrific.

He walked on shaky feet back towards where the other three stood, and they gathered around him. He saw their uncertainty; they didn't really want to look in the cell after seeing his reaction.

"What was it?" Tai asked in a shy voice.

"...I-Izzy," Matt said, his eyes wide as the sight of his friend remained burned into his mind. "He's there... Oh, _God_, that was _Izzy_!"

The blond let his eyelids squeeze shut as his footing collapsed. The others knelt around him, mostly to help support him, but also to simply preoccupy themselves. None of them wanted to see what had been done to the bearer of Knowledge.

But Matt just couldn't stay quiet, "H-His head..."

Kari protested, "Shh...Matt, please..." She pulled him into a shaky embrace. "Try and t-think about something e-else."

"You think I can?" Matt asked cynically. He gradually stood and took a much needed deep breath, causing Kari to back away. "Let's get out of here."

The others were more than willing to comply. They had already come quite close to the next level, and soon reached the long staircase. The children again mounted their digimon so that the climb would be as quick as possible. They came straight into a large, square chamber. There was no sign of any access to the fourth floor save for another set of stairs on the opposite side. A winged, white digimon stood in their way.

"What are you doing here?"

Tai stepped forward. "Let the master of the Dark Army come forth! Let justice be done upon him!"

"Tai..." Kari murmured with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Matt felt the same about it, but as cliche as the quote was, it was effective for the moment. It was a perfectly reasonable demand to the enemy digimon.

"My master has foreseen your coming," the winged digimon replied. "He has sent me to see that you leave immediately. Do not resist. Do not interfere."

"Who are you?" Omnimon asked.

"Dynasmon, a Royal Knight as you are. Why do you fight alongside the humans, Omnimon?"

"They are the bringers of light into this world. It is my purpose to stand by them."

"Traitor!" Dynasmon roared. "They are not your master! Understand?"

"They are my friends. I have dedicated my life to their protection. Nothing you can say will dissuade me. Whatever your master has done has put this world at risk, and has put the children in danger as a result. We have come to make an end to it."

"If you cannot be dissuaded," Dynasmon growled, more willing to fight than to argue. "Then you shall be deleted!"

The two knights charged each other simultaneously, and soon clashed in an angry battle. For several moments they fought, but when it became apparent that Omnimon would need help if he were to defeat Dynasmon anytime soon, Wingdramon and Cyberdramon jumped in to help.

Their action triggered the unexpected. The room suddenly became alive with crawling digimon that appeared as if from nowhere. They moved freely along any surface: up and down the walls and across the ceiling. There must have been hundreds of them, whatever they were. Wingdramon and Cyberdramon paused in their advance out of shock. Omnimon backed away from Dynasmon. The white knight noticed something on his adversary's back. His body tensed when he recognized it.

"That's...!"

"Parasimon!" Gomamon murmured with foreboding.

"Not good," squeaked Tentomon in a panicked voice. "They're not all that powerful alone, but it'll be hard to fight them all in these numbers. And it doesn't help that one of them chose Dynasmon for a host. That guy's gotta be a mega, which gives the Parasimon controlling him a lot of extra power."

"Wind Guardian!" AeroVeedramon's voice came from above the children. They watched as a flurry of winds swirled around them, protecting them with its tornado-like force. The power of the winds succeeded in pushing away several attacking Parasimon. In the centre of the room, Omnimon and Dynasmon resumed their battle, while Cyberdramon and Wingdramon, along with all the rookies, soon had their hands full. More than once one of the Parasimon broke through the wind barrier to get to the children, but only got as far as the ever-watchful AeroVeedramon would let them.

A moment came when the enemy made it through too close for comfort. The blue dramon leapt at the Parasimon in a last ditch effort to keep it away from the children. AeroVeedramon succeeded in doing so, but as a result was knocked off guard, and he let the wind barrier down just enough for the Parasimon to break in. Matt spotted a certain one, and noticed how it had its eye fixed on him. Knowing that he was being targeted by the digimon, the boy decided to make a run for it.

"Sonic Lance!"

"Desolation Claw!"

The other two dramon had made it to the scene to back up AeroVeedramon. The Parasimon were promptly cleared out of the immediate area. Matt looked back at where he heard the dramon's voices, and realized that he wasn't being pursued. He had run a long way from the others. Matt looked around himself worriedly, wondering who would be the first to notice him amidst the battle. There was so much going on, with all the explosions that came from Dynasmon and Omnimon's battle, and the ravaging that the dramon were giving the Parasimon. Would it be the other kids, the digimon, or the enemy?

He received a sudden shove from behind: the answer to his question. After stumbling forward a few steps, Matt spun around, bewildered. It wasn't a hard push; he hadn't even fallen. He tried to look for what had hit him, but something was changing around him.

The room had been dark to begin with, but now, as a glowing blue cloud began to fill into the place, the blackness seemed to deepen. The soft light from the fog, however, was warm as it grew in power. Soon, Matt found himself surrounded by impenetrable, swirling blue mist. He couldn't see any of the others. He didn't exactly want to now. The warmness of the fog, the softness of the glowing light... They were a great comfort after the chill air of a grey and ravaged Digital World. Matt strolled slowly through the seemingly boundless area, wondering where the walls of the black room had gone. Surely he would eventually run into something, even if it be an enemy.

He presently heard voices, and almost turned away from them. He admitted to himself that he would prefer staying hidden in the mist, shut out from the battle around him. And yet, those weren't the loud voices of fighting. They didn't even sound like the voices of his friends. Come to think of it, there was only one. A very young voice. Matt built up the courage to follow it. The direction wasn't hard to find, but as he drew nearer to the source, it became harder to approach. The voice was singing. His voice was singing.

The fog began to thin before him, and he hesitated. There was a younger Matt somewhere in there, singing happily. He didn't want to interrupt, but he wanted to see. Matt very slowly approached, and came into view. There was a wooden picnic table and benches there in the middle of the sea of blue fog. Fresh, well-kept grass grew around it, while a clean concrete sidewalk ran in front of it. A relatively young tree sprouted off to the side, just old enough for its branches to cast a light shade over the area. Matt saw the source of the voice, a little blond boy running playfully around the table, singing with a giggle in his voice.

_"Mommy and Daddy, sittin' 'neath a tree..."_

Matt then noticed the two figures sitting on the bench. The young boy finished his song with a laugh and jumped up to sit between his parents. The older blond gasped at the sight of the three together, all smiling. He was suddenly enraged at the boy's teasing of the couple. He hated that song, and when the little boy opened his mouth to begin singing again, Matt strode a step forward.

"Shut up!"

The boy was gone just like that, and Matt found himself sitting. He stiffened, catching his breath as he found himself between his parents. He hardly dared to look up at them.

"You're such a goofball, Matt," his father spoke with a smile in his voice.

Matt glanced slightly to the side and barely made eye contact. His father's expression was that of amusement as he gazed down at him.

And then Nancy's voice: "Don't listen to him honey, you have such a sweet voice and you know it."

Matt turned his head to look at her, at a loss for words.

But again, it was the other parent that spoke next, "I can't really argue with that. I'd like to hear more myself. Well, so long as you don't keep on singing the same thing."

Matt then dropped his eyes altogether. "Sing? For...you guys? You want to hear me?"

Silence came as a reply. His parents merely smiled in affirmation, waiting. Matt kept his head hung as he slowly opened up. He kicked his feet nervously along the ground.

_"You got a boy, you got a girl... sittin' underneath a tree. They sit there every day..."_

He sang much slower, and in a lower key than he did during the Christmas concert all that time ago. The one that ended up getting crashed by the DarkTyrannomon.

_"And even though you may think that this is the way things should be, it may not always be that way..."_

He was just loosening up now, and lifted his head as he raised his voice.

_"You can't take nothing for granted; you've gotta live life today."_

Matt caught his breath suddenly. Though his voice echoed on through the place, and strangely continued the song into the chorus, he stopped as his parents wordlessly stood and walked out onto the sidewalk. Matt stared, holding his breath, desperately wishing or them to stay, but unable to voice this wish. He could only watch.

His mother and father didn't even look at each other as they began walking in opposite directions, following the sidewalk until they faded into the surrounding fog. Matt glanced at each of them in turn, speechless. They were gone.

The blond stared ahead, not knowing what else he could do except listen to the continuing echoes of his song. The chorus was on its last lines when he realized his own voice wasn't the only one singing. The little child's voice had returned; yet, this time, it wasn't his. It was close, though, coming from right behind him. Matt slowly twisted in his seat and turned to look.

He gaped at the sight of the little blond in the big green hat. Matt slowly stood and faced his little brother. TK smiled at him as he sang.

_"...I've been here all along, just turn around."_

Matt recalled that TK had never really sang much. He remembered when they were both little, and living together. He always teased his little brother about his voice. Nothing he said seemed to phase TK, though. The kid was always willing to try and branch out somehow. It was the main reason why Matt let him try out the harmonica, or even attempted to teach him guitar in later years. But TK had proved himself to be a different kind of artist.

The little blond's voice wasn't much better here, but Matt's heart raced joyfully at the chance to hear TK again.

But then the boy stopped forming the words. Echoes carried on, repeating that final phrase. _"...just turn around."_

TK slowly got to his feet and took off the green cap, revealing the white bucket hat underneath. Matt gazed at his little brother curiously. TK grew taller and taller as he stood, straightening his limbs. He was ageing. He was becoming the fifteen-year-old that Matt found pale and lifeless on the slopes of Infinity Mountain. The older blond felt a lump grow in his throat as his chest now filled with dread. His brother's once bright, innocent grin had now faded to a small, sad smile of acceptance. TK slowly began walking towards the edge of the fog bank. He paused just once, turning to give Matt a final glance and nod.

The older blond's mind snapped back into gear. "Wait! TK!"

He jumped right up and over the picnic table and benches that stood between him and his brother. He began his pursuit of TK, but the little brother turned around once again and calmly walked the last couple steps into the cover of the cloud. Despite sprinting as fast as he could, Matt only came close enough in time to see the white flash of his brother's hat...and the golden blond hair underneath...

TK was gone.

Matt skidded to a stop, knowing the truth. Knowing that nothing would change the fact that he had carried TK's body himself, unable to do more than lay him to rest. The feeling of powerlessness washed over him like a flood, and he only managed to turn back around and see the picnic table before collapsing to his knees. Despair came next as he saw the emptiness of the area he was in. They had all just stood and walked out on him.

No, they would come back someday. He would see them again. He _had_ to.

But would they really return?

Doubt came as a final strike, and the weight that settled on Matt's shoulders sapped the rest of the strength from him. He suddenly lost the will to keep upright, and fell forward into the grass.

Only it wasn't really grass that he was lying on. It was hard and cold, whatever it was. Matt kept his eyes half open, and saw the blueness completely engulf the entire area he was in. And then it faded back into darkness, and peeled away. Matt was suddenly made aware of the ringing in his ears. There were vague noises, but it was several moments before he could pinpoint anything. The first thing he did recognize though was his name. Someone in front of him was talking to him. He slowly lifted his head to look.

It was Tai standing there, holding a black rod about a metre in length. It took some concentration to get what he was talking about, but Matt could finally hear enough to listen to what the brunet said.

"No hard feelings, okay, Matt? Listen, we have to face it. We won't be all together again after this is over. We can only make sure we get as much of us home as we can."

Matt's eyes narrowed in confusion. What was the goggle-head talking about? He stiffly got to his knees, and then found that he was holding a rod similar to Tai's. Possibly a piece of debris from the ensuing battle around them. He looked back up at his best friend, and saw Tai looking at him warily.

"You done fighting me, now?" The brunet continued. "'Cause we need to get back into the real battle here. I don't know what you were thinking when you said we're all together, but we're past that now. Let's stop fighting over it and get back to business."

Fighting? Had he been fighting Tai? Matt then noticed how the tears were gathering in the corners of his friend's eyes. At the sight, it suddenly registered to Matt. The Parasimon. One of them had caught him, took him under, and had him fight his friends. The thought enraged him. Matt stood, his face darkening, his hand whitening around the steel rod. Tai responded, bracing himself for another exchange.

But Matt didn't have that in mind. He spun on his heel and lifted the rod, looking for a different target. He spotted Dynasmon, with the huge Parasimon mounted on his back, still locked in combat with Omnimon. Matt broke into a sprint, running in a wide arc that would take him around the two Royal Knights and right up to Parasimon. The latter mega was preoccupied with Cyberdramon, who was trying to find a way to remove the parasite digimon from its host. Matt held the rod he carried like a javelin, preparing to stab it right into Parasimon's big ugly eye. He was that mad.

Exchanging blows with his friends was nothing new to Matt. He did it every now and again, but only in fun. Or to beat some sense into a goggle-head or two. But not for no reason. Not in the place of some evil digimon. He never imagined himself fighting for the enemy. He had done it once before, years ago. But in those times, he was a confused, shut off young boy. Now, as he truly knew what he was meant to represent, it enraged him to realize that he had been attacking Tai in the stead of the enemy. He was set on making that right.

Matt came right up to the Parasimon, and used his chance as Omnimon knocked Dynasmon to the ground. He got close. So very close. But Parasimon shifted its attention and fixed its huge eye on him at the last possible instant. The parasite digimon wrapped a tentacle around his weapon, stopping the rod mid-thrust. Matt let the black pole go just as Parasimon jerked it up into the air and threw it across the room. The blond watched it fly straight for his friends, clustred in a group. AeroVeedramon and ExVeemon, keeping a close vigil over them, saw the airborne weapon and deflected it. Matt was relieved for an instant, and then his eyes widened when he saw Tai suddenly run forward and shout in his direction.

Matt jerked his attention back to the Parasimon just in time to see the mass of tendrils rush at him. He was enveloped in their grip the next instant, and lifted high off the ground.

"Cyber Nail!"

The friendly digimon severed enough of the tentacles for Matt to be released. The fall to the ground was enough to wind him for several moments, and by the time Matt returned to his feet, Parasimon delivered a strong kick with one of its lavender limbs. The blond was sent flying from the impact.

Matt apparently had Parasimon's full interest, for Dynasmon began approaching where he lay breathless and in pain. Omnimon and Cyberdramon renewed their efforts to attract the enemy's attention, and began their assault. Wingdramon had already busied himself with keeping the other Parasimon from reaching the children. AeroVeedramon and ExVeemon stood as a last resort.

Dynasmon successfully held the two attacking digimon off for a time, but he quickly tired of them. The Royal Knight struck out unexpectedly, and locked Cyberdramon in a firm hold. Dynasmon held the dramon in front of Omnimon as a living shield, keeping the white knight at bay.

"Ah, so finally you see things my way," Dynasmon commented as he continued to approach where Matt lay, still in a daze. The boy knew he had to hurry, but he couldn't make out just where to go. The room was tipping in dizzying directions. He must have hit his head somewhere. Dynasmon continued. "What will you do, traitor? You have placed your strength in this boy here, have you not? You have betrayed our commander for the power you can sap from a human. What if I cut off that source?"

"Stay away from him!" Demanded Omnimon. The Garuru head lifted.

Dynasmon held forward the restrained Cyberdramon, "Once a traitor, always a traitor. Will you betray even these comrades of yours?"

"Do it, Omnimon!" Cyberdramon cut in. "Better I die than the boy."

"Are you certain?" The white knight replied.

"Yes," the dramon replied firmly. "All I wish is for there to be a world to be reborn in. I know you can achieve that."

Omnimon slowly extended his sword, "So be it. Transcendent Sword!"

The white knight charged forward with the blade, and pierced Cyberdramon's armour until he reached Dynasmon behind him.

"Oops..." Parasimon squeaked as he released his host. The parasite digimon chuckled as he observed the scene.

Omnimon shot a look up at the enemy digimon. "What? No!"

He looked back down to Cyberdramon and Dynasmon, both impaled on his sword.

"No regrets, Omnimon," the dramon murmured as he dissolved.

Dynasmon managed to hold himself together for a few seconds longer than Cyberdramon. "What is this? A knight slaying a knight? What have you done, Omnimon? I tell you, this deed shall return to haunt you!"

The Royal Knight's data began to disintegrate. Real data. Not the living shadow that comprised the true enemy. This was as truly an innocent digimon as Cyberdramon was.

"Forgive me, Dynasmon. If only I had time to explain."

But Dynasmon was beyond hearing as the last of his configuration was lost. Omnimon stared, overcome by shock...

As was everyone else except the offending Parasimon. Matt stared at his jogressed partner, awestruck at how Omnimon took two incredibly powerful digimon with one blow, and yet horrified that neither were the true target. Parasimon. Matt realized the enemy digimon was standing right over him.

The blond gave a surprised cry as he tried to make his getaway, but Parasimon wasted no time in ensnaring him. Matt was once again in the air, with each of his limbs wrapped up by several of the Parasimon's tendrils. He tried to struggle, but one of the tentacles slithered up and around his neck, immediately tightening.

"Matt!" Omnimon had been alerted by the boy's shout, but hesitated in his attack. The situation had become delicately precarious.

"What will you do?" Parasimon asked with a chuckle. "If you wait, he will be strangled to death."

To prove its point, the parasite held its prey forward. Matt gasped and choked as the pressure on his throat increased.

"If you charge now, I will simply smash him to bits. If you shoot...well, I'll just say you killed him."

Omnimon stood still, shaking with rage. Only indecision kept him at bay. Otherwise he would have long blown Parasimon to oblivion.

Matt's thoughts drifted, trying to get his mind off the fact that his breaths were growing shorter, with less and less oxygen coming in. The image of the empty picnic table came before him, and he felt the rest of the fight in him die away. If he survived, it would only meant that he would be alive to trudge through another day. If he died...

_Well, little brother, I'd just be joining you sooner than planned..._

He barely detected the sudden feeling of falling, but it stayed with him until the picnic table and the young tree of the empty park faded into nothing.

* * *

><p><em>...well...there goes my first favourite anime character.<em>

_Reviews appreciated ^^_


	10. Path of Miracles

_Yeah, oops. Long time no see. I really don't have much of an excuse for not updating. Been writing this off an on for the past month or two, and finally got around to committing the time to finish it. _

_Read on!_

* * *

><p><strong>Path of Miracles<strong>

Omnimon had snapped. The sight of his co-partner being strangled to death was too much to just sit and watch. With no other options, the white knight only waited until Parasimon's eye drifted ever so slightly, and then he charged with his blade held forward like a lance. He was a split second too slow, as Parasimon refocused in an instant, and slammed its prey head-first into the ground.

That was all that was needed to kill the human, but the enraged digimon had too much momentum to stop. The Grey sword was struck straight through the enemy digimon's eye, and Parasimon dissolved into nothing.

Omnimon's form then split into two shining yellow figures. One faded to reveal WarGreymon, the other MetalGarurumon.

The latter mega continued to glow as he fought the degeneration. He turned to where his partner's broken body lay, crying out mournfully.

"No...! Matt!"

The mega was soon an ultimate. WereGarurumon was on his hands and knees as he still tried to keep his form, continuing to grumble out his protests to Matt's fate. His body began to quake.

"Must stay strong... Matt... For you, Matt. I have to stay strong for you!"

WarGreymon noticed how his DNA partner's form grew unstable. "WereGarurumon! Don't fight it! It's not safe!"

WereGarurumon gave a sorrowful howl, and then let himself degenerate completely, reverting to Tsunomon. The little horned digimon was still yelling as he fell to the ground. His eyes and face swam with tears as he gazed helplessly at Matt's body. Tsunomon hopped weakly over and nuzzled close to his partner. "Matt... I'm so sorry, Matt..."

The other digimon, meanwhile, busied themselves with clearing out the remaining Parasimon. It didn't take long, being that the enemy now no longer had any bait to threaten the Chosen with. When the room was finally emptied of the enemy, the Chosen gathered around their fallen friend.

Davis felt sick at the sight of Matt. The older boy's neck was obviously broken and the look on his face was just like TK's final expression. Davis stood shocked. Kari was pale and horror-stricken. Tai was shaking in fury.

"We're ending this," Tai said darkly. "It has to end."

"Let's go, then," Davis replied quietly. The sight of Matt was becoming too much for him.

The older goggle boy made sure his sister was ready as well. Kari turned and hid her face in Tai's chest as she hugged him. She was obviously terrified. Tai made eye contact with Davis, and held his gaze for a long moment. As he stared back, Davis felt the gravity of their situation settle upon him once more. Tai's eyes were growing tired and dull, glazed and brimming over.

The younger boy looked away, and on towards the path to the final level. Tai read his expression, and released Kari from the embrace. "We're going."

The three children and their accompanying digimon began the approach. Kari stopped beside Matt's body. She held out her hands to Tsunomon, and the digimon jumped sombrely into her arms. Cradling him close, and casting a final glance at Matt's face, she went to follow the others. They made short work of that last staircase, and came onto the fourth level.

A dark digimon stood in wait for them. It was a silver-haired dinosaur digimon, standing about as tall as WarGreymon. The group of Chosen stood on alert at seeing him, but the digimon seemed to just smile at them.

"Welcome, Digidestined."

"Who are you?" WarGreymon challenged.

The dark digimon replied simply, "Gaiomon."

"What do you think you're trying to do here?"

"Trying?" Gaiomon countered smugly, "I'm not just trying. I'm doing. I have done. My goal has already been accomplished."

"You may have opened the gate to the powers of darkness," Eaglemon's voice came. The golden mega had found the time to come and reinforce the remaining Digidestined. "But we are here to shut it once more."

"And that is where my goal is accomplished," Gaiomon said triumphantly. "It was BlackWarGreymon's job to open the gate. It is mine to defend it, and I have done so by drawing you children away from it."

"What!" Tai exclaimed, stepping forward with fists raised.

"The portal to the dark land isn't up here. Can't you see? You've come the wrong way. The armies are pouring from the underground. It is there where your gate awaits to be closed."

Davis was dumbstruck. They had fought so hard to get up these final floors, and it was all for nothing? Just a waste of time? Matt _died_ and they were only wasting time? It was an enraging thought.

Gaiomon then made his move. He already had his two scimitars drawn, but now joined them together at the hilts, so that the curved swords resembled a bow. Gaiomon then held the weapons forward like a skilled archer.

He growled out a short phrase that was almost unrecognizable. "_Rinkageki._"

A rod of light shone from the hilts of his joined swords, like an arrow. Gaiomon unleashed the pent up energy before anyone realized that what he had said was the name of this attack. The arrow of energy shot forward like a sniper's bullet, and streaked straight through Palmon's head. The rookie was shattered from the impact.

The dark digimon readied another arrow without hesitation, but Eaglemon dove down to engage him.

"Go!" The golden mega shouted as he fought. "I will hold him off here."

"Yes, go, Chosen Children," Gaiomon said with amusement in his voice. "Let's see how well you can push back the full onslaught of the dark land's powers."

The children made haste back down the levels of the dark tower. Away from the room where Palmon was destroyed... Past the room where Matt lay... Past the room where Izzy sat...

They reached ground level, where Ken had been struck down. The place was previously cleared out by Eaglemon's troops, and they were now ready to continue further down. The Digidestined led them on, seeing the doorway that was once camouflaged amongst the horde of enemy digimon. They delved into the darkness that was the dungeon of the tower. Wingdramon did the group a favour by channelling energy into the yellow spheres he carried, providing light throughout the area. There was something in the middle of the empty room. It wasn't alive; it seemed to be one with the structure that housed it.

Upon approaching it, the three Digidestined saw it was a pedestal of some sort. A peg stuck up from the centre, supposedly there to hold something. The children stood baffled by it until the angel Piddomon came up to examine it.

After reading the digicode inscriptions, he explained to the children, "This is where the key would be placed to close the gate."

"Which means..." Tai murmured, and then paused in thought.

Kari picked up where he left off, "There's a different one that opens the gate?"

"Most likely," Piddomon nodded.

"So we have to go even further down?" Davis asked.

Tai replied, "Looks like it."

Though they were ready to move on, Davis hesitated as an unfamiliar fear took hold of him. He saw the darkness beyond the staircase that led further down into the dungeons, and common sense screamed at him to stay back.

Davis ended up shaking it off and going after his two friends. Since when did he ever really listen to common sense? The Digidestined pushed on with their recruited army, still including the ever-faithful rookies, Tentomon, Gotsumon, Gomamon. Kari still held tight onto Tsunomon for comfort as they came down to the second underground level.

They found a mass of living shadows waiting to greet them.

Both sides stood silently, staring at the other. It seemed as if the whole room had paused to take a breath before the coming skirmish.

No one really knew who made the first move. For everyone present, there was an instant of dead silence, and then came the following noise of the brawl. It would suffice to simply say that hell broke loose. The Dark World was very much a cold hell, and now its forces were on the march, fighting alongside the forms of the pseudo-digimon. The army seemed unquenchable.

The Digidestined's recruits dove in first, pushing and doing everything they could to clear a path for the children. It was a long and painstakingly hard job, being that the kids' goal lay on the next floor down. The staircase to the bottom level was visible, but the dark ones from the other world were still pouring out in strong numbers.

Davis kept close behind ExVeemon. Despite the champion's constant attacks on the enemy, swinging his arms in every direction, firing shots unpredictably, it still was the safest spot the boy could be. There was nowhere else to go besides his partner's side. The two drove on, closer and closer to the doorway.

And yet, when they finally reached the threshold, Davis turned to find himself separated from Tai and Kari. He could see WarGreymon and Angewomon's attacks still blazing strong amongst the chaos of the battle, reassuring him that his friends were still okay. Though Parrotmon and Piddomon had accompanied him with ExVeemon, Davis felt a short wave of loneliness pass over him. In a crucial time like this, he would rather be fighting by his senior and one of his best friends.

Even so, Davis knew it was his responsibility to push on. He was, after all, still wearing the goggles. The treasured item was worn by the heroes who led those that would save the world. Tai had done it. Davis had done it himself only a year ago. It was time to do it again.

"ExVeemon!"

"I'm here, Davis," the digimon replied.

"This is the last mile, buddy. We've got to hurry. Mow 'em over! I'll keep up as best as I can."

"Got it." ExVeemon turned on his heel and dove down the stairs, with Davis racing after. The champion miraculously managed to keep a consistently clear path in his wake for Davis to follow. Piddomon and Parrotmon were soon engaged in their own battles for their lives.

Davis began to fall too far behind ExVeemon for comfort. He was straining himself, sprinting full speed, but it wasn't enough to keep himself from getting lost in the chaos. The dark ones didn't seem to focus on targeting him. It was almost as if they were too excited to get to the digimon instead of the human. The boy used this stroke of fortune to his advantage as he pushed and shoved his way against the tide of cold bodies to get to the pedestal. He had to be close; he felt the cold air of the Dark World whistling through the gate.

Then he heard his partner's voice, though it alarmingly wasn't ExVeemon's.

"Veemon!" Davis cried out against the din. The rookie's voice soon came in reply.

"I'm still fighting, Davis! Don't worry. Just get to the key! It's right there!"

Davis complied, knowing that it was about time that this was finished. The resistance he had been pushing against suddenly gave away, and the goggle head fell forward. He threw his hands out in front of him to catch his fall, but he never made it all the way to the ground. Davis found himself leaning upon a stone pedestal. It was just like the one they found a couple floors above: dark obsidian, a metre in height, and hosting a strangely marked peg. Davis' heart skipped a beat. The peg was holding what looked like a thick ring. This had to be the key. The key that the others died protecting and searching. Now to get this back to Tai and Kari...

Just before he lifted his hand to take the artefact, Davis found the barrel of a machine gun right in front of him, pointed at his chest. He froze, lifting only his eyes to look at the offender. It was an Astamon, as somebody had told him earlier when they first began the raid on the tower. It was probably Tentomon. The ultimate-level digimon glared darkly down at him. Davis returned the look.

"Who do you think you are, human, that you should invade our home with intent to raze it to the ground?"

"You guys are the ones doing the invading," Davis countered. "This is our way of kicking you out."

Astamon's grip on his weapon tightened, and he replied with a snarl, "You've pushed your luck far enough alone by attacking this place. Don't tempt me any further."

"Beat it," Davis growled, his hands clenching into fists. "I was born pushing my luck."

"Then I'll give you the satisfaction of dying as so."

Astamon pulled the trigger. His weapon was fully automatic, and so the digimon unloaded a full clip into Davis' chest within seconds. The boy somehow stood his ground through it all, but as soon as smoke was bellowing from the barrel of the gun instead of bullets, Davis slumped forward onto the pedestal. He miraculously stayed on his feet, despite the fact that he was choking on his own breaths. Gasping and grunting, he lifted his gaze once again to Astamon. The digimon seemed to have finished, and now settled with watching the boy in his anguish.

Agonizing it was, Davis was unable to contain himself as he stood slumped forward, his body quaking with the strain. His face was twisted into a grotesque expression of anguish as he tried to keep himself up. It wasn't just a physical blow he had received. Mentally, he was screaming in denial, since his real voice was failing him by now.

He couldn't die! The key was right _there_!

He was still standing. He could just barely keep himself up, but he was standing. As long as he was on his feet, he would still try and do whatever possible to get closer to winning this war. It was the least he could do. His friends...his faithful supporters and followers... They had all given their lives to get him to where he was now. The least he could do in return was accomplish what he came for. But by now...it would take a real miracle...

A miracle… He had seen one of those before.

Davis clamped his eyes shut, and murmured through his teeth, "Golden armour…energize…"

Since his eyes were closed, he didn't notice the soft light enveloping him. But to follow it up, there came the sudden blinding light from behind him.

"Veemon golden armour digivolve to... Magnamon!"

Davis only had time to smile, and Astamon only had time to glower before the new golden knight shot forward in a vengeance.

"Magna Punch!"

There was so much fury packed into that one blow... It was all that was needed. Astamon exploded into a dark, smoky cloud.

Magnamon turned abruptly, "Davis...! Davis! Hang in there!"

The boy didn't respond, though he was still conscious. His attention was fully trained on the key. Magnamon strode forward and knelt in front of the pedestal on the opposite side of Davis.

"Can you hear me, Davis?"

The brunet nodded, but didn't try any further response. He couldn't spare any strength. Davis gripped the key with one hand, and attempted to lift it. The artefact didn't budge. The boy refused to believe it. He tried again, grabbing the ring with both hands. He didn't want to believe the key was stuck in its hole. The thing was just massive and heavy. It couldn't be otherwise.

Davis' entire bloodied body was washed in a faint, soft glow as he laboured. Perhaps it was a manifestation of the fight that was still in him, despite his battered form. It was barely enough. The ring shifted upwards ever so slightly. Davis doubled his effort, but his physical strength was fading fast.

Magnamon then reached forward with his own hands, and placed them gently but firmly around Davis'. The boy looked up and made eye contact with his partner. Magnamon dipped his head. Davis nodded in return.

The two put their efforts together, and through the digimon's brute strength and the boy's sheer willpower, they began to lift the artefact from its stand. The higher the ring was lifted, the lighter it became, as if there was some unseen force that had been holding it and was only just now losing its grip.

At long last, the key was free. With his heart nearly bursting with excitement and encouragement, Davis turned from the pedestal to make the trip back to Tai and Kari.

And yet, though his mind was refreshed, his body was not. There was no new burst of adrenaline as he moved forward. Davis took one step before collapsing to his knees. He took a sharp breath at the movement, and then was reminded that he couldn't really breathe anyway. The boy coughed and hacked, fighting to stay conscious. Magnamon was beside him in an instant.

"Davis, please... Don't push yourself."

The brunet ignored his digimon as he struggled to return to his feet. Magnamon still protested.

"You're killing yourself!"

"It's too late to think 'bout that!" Davis finally growled back. His voice rattled as blood began to drip out of the corners of his mouth. "Just help me get back to Kari and Tai."

The golden knight straightened up and quickly scanned the area for the other two Chosen children. By now they had reached the bottom level, but they were still lost in their battle against the dark ones. Soon, apparently locating them, Magnamon charged his weapons.

"Magna Blast!" The armour digimon cried out as he shot. Within seconds, the attack cleared up a path that led straight to the Kamiyas.

Davis again attempted to stand, but his body couldn't take it. His digimon strode back to him and simply picked him up. Magnamon then covered the distance between them and the others in one swift leap. He landed as softly as he could, and then lowered Davis to the ground. The boy insisted on keeping his feet under him, though he had to lean heavily on Magnamon's outstretched hand. Tai and Kari had spotted him by now, and had seen the state he was in. They stood very still, horror struck at his crimson red chest, dotted with bullet holes.

Davis plastered a small smile on his face, though his glazed eyes still screamed in torment. He walked slowly and painfully, determined to deliver the key to Kari in person. The girl stared at him with wide eyes and had her hands clamped over her gaping mouth. She was in shock.

Sorrow filled Davis as he drew closer. He knew this was the last mission for him to accomplish, and in knowing that, he wanted it to last for as long as he could. He didn't want to die, despite the fact that most of his friends were already gone. He had to remind himself that he really wasn't the goggle head of the Digidestined anymore. His group was gone. All of them! Cody, Yolei, Ken...

There was Kari, but she didn't deserve to be under his lead. She just had the grace to follow him. She belonged with the older ones. She was supposed to follow her older brother.

TK, too... Davis now associated that name with his own guilt. Thinking about all the times he looked down on the blond and challenged his experience in the DigiWorld led Davis to loathe himself. TK should have been calling the shots. He should have been making the shots, for that matter. Not taking them. Yet TK did, and hardly made any complaints about it. His giving himself up to the Dokugumon sealed that.

Memories like these were coming back to haunt Davis as he stumbled those last few steps to his remaining friends. Instead of weighing him down, however, they drove him on. He would make it up to everyone somehow.

But after what seemed to be an eternity, he was finally close enough. Davis reached towards Kari and opened his palm upward, revealing the key to her. He saw her eyes immediately brim over, but she stayed silent.

"Davis," Tai murmured. "Is that...?"

Davis nodded slightly, his eyes still locked with Kari's. "It's up to you, Kari. Go and use your light."

Kari finally broke their gaze and looked down at the infamous artefact. She stretched her own hand out, but instead of taking the ring, she gripped Davis' hand in her own. Stepping forward, she embraced him gently, apparently not caring that she was soiling her own shirt with his blood. Davis felt her body shake with sobs, and he hugged her back with his free hand.

And then she whispered into his ear, "You're a miracle, Davis. Thank you."

The boy smiled slightly in turn, feeling her start to pull away. He let her go, but didn't expect the short kiss on the cheek as she backed off. It may not have been expected, but it was something he always wanted back during their first weeks as a team. Kari squeezed his hand gently before relieving him of the key.

That was it then. His mission was done. Davis now had time to think about other things. Such as his injury.

The boy hesitantly looked down as he was suddenly made aware again of the agony flaring up in his chest. His knees once again were weak; he slumped heavily against Magnamon's supporting arm.

"Davis?" He heard Tai shout in panic and alarm. The younger boy had no strength to respond anymore. He was on his hands and knees now, but it was too hard to hold himself up. He fell limp against Magnamon, the echoes of his remaining friends' voices lingering on the final dregs of his consciousness. But then, even they fell silent in the blackness.

* * *

><p><em>So. We'll see how soon the next update comes...<em>

_Let me know what you think, okay?_


	11. Courage Under Fire

_OKAY, so another good six months later i'm finally back into writing mode. I've had the chance at long last to put some prolonged effort into these fics, which has been really nice. The focus has been put on my three main digimon fics - New Evolution, Two Pair, and this one. I assure you they will be updated more frequently than every six months._

_Without further ado, back to the story!_

* * *

><p><strong>Courage Under Fire<strong>

"Don't go dying on us now!" Tai screamed, cursing. He gripped his younger friend's shoulders and shook hard as he felt the rage of their situation take over. "Davis! Don't you dare fall asleep! Open your eyes!"

Davis' body slumped forward in the older boy's grasp, his face pressing into Tai's shoulder. With shaking arms, the child of Courage carefully shifted his friend so that he could see his face. He couldn't comprehend this reality. He could only stare. Tai was oblivious to Veemon who knelt nearby, weeping on balled fists. Only seconds before, the rookie had been the manifest form of a miracle; a powerful blue dragon clad in gold. But his degeneration was proof that the child of Miracles was gone. It was a warning that time was running out fast for the Kamiyas.

Tai lifted his head, gazing murderously at the black gate with tears in his eyes. The swirling portal glared back as it continued to belch out the throngs of darkness. Tai's voice shook, "I hate it. I hate it all."

Kari sat beside him. She had by no means recovered from the trauma of their situation, but she felt the need to provide at least a little comfort. The siblings needed something to hold onto. She recognized the will to fight diminishing in Tai.

"What I wouldn't give to march through the portal with WarGreymon and burn that whole world to ashes," Tai growled.

Kari replied quietly, "We're doing the next best thing, Tai."

The older Kamiya shook his head sadly.

"We are," the girl insisted. "We've helped make an army! All the digimon are fighting against the powers of darkness."

"We've also destroyed just as many digimon, Kari."

Now the girl was shaking her head. "They were fake. Those were the creatures from the Dark Ocean in disguise." She teared up as she offered her last thread of hope to her brother. "When we make it out, you can go and invade the World of Darkness yourself."

"When we make it out…" Tai mumbled. Kari knew his hesitation. Her older sibling had already made his resolve and released himself to die in this war.

"You are going to make it out, Tai." Kari stated firmly. She held out the ring Davis had given to her. "We're almost done. Once we put this in its proper place, the gate will shut and we win. That's all."

"That's two flights of stairs, children." An old enemy butted into the sombre conversation, "And I intend to make that the longest two flights of stairs in your life."

Tai's hands clenched into fists, despite him still cradling Davis' body. "Back off, you," He spat out.

In reply, BlackWarGreymon began to approach the small group of Chosen. The digimon responded immediately. Wingdramon, WarGreymon, and Angewomon stood at the forefront with Piddomon and Parrotmon behind them. Tentomon, Gomamon, Veemon, Gotsumon, and Tsunomon manned an ever-faithful guard around the remaining two Digidestined. Their minds and emotions were worn to rags, but still they stood. They could still fight.

BlackWarGreymon had the advantage nevertheless. He had the momentum, the encouragement. The odds were in his favour, and he was ready to seal it. He charged.

"Parrotmon!" Piddomon shouted above the din. "Let's go!"

The two leapt up and over the three digimon standing in the front line and engaged the coming black mega. Tai laid Davis to rest on the ground, examining their situation. If he could just ensure that Kari could make it to the pedestal two floors up, as fast as possible…

"Wingdramon!" He called. The dramon turned its long head to look at him. "Start heading back upstairs. Clear a path for my sister. You're her partner now, too."

The ultimate nodded its assent, and flew off to blaze a trail for the last run.

Tai walked over to his sister, taking her shoulders in his hands. "You get what we're doing here?"

Her eyes were already streaming with tears. "I think so… But please prove me wrong."

The older boy lowered his gaze and gave a slight shake of the head. "Don't think I can."

"Why?"

"WarGreymon is the strongest digimon we have now, and he fights stronger the closer I am. I'm staying here to fight BlackWarGreymon."

"Will you come after me when you win?"

"Or when you close the gate. Whichever comes first."

There was a pause, and then, "I'm scared… Tai…"

"I'd be worried if you weren't," the older boy replied with a smile. "But you're not a quitter, Kari."

The younger Kamiya smiled with reassurance. That was all she needed to hear. "I'll see you outside?"

"Last one there's a rotten digi-egg!" Tai said with feigned light-heartedness as he spun Kari around and gave her a shove towards the staircase up. She sprinted, scooping up Tsunomon as she went, and Angewomon came to glide over her. It was safer for the two to go slower if it meant that Angewomon's hands were free to fight. Tai gestured at the rookies. "You go too, guys! Give her all the confidence she can get!"

The digimon children scampered off after the Kamiya girl. Veemon paused for only an instant at Davis' side. The blue rookie carefully slid the goggles off of his partner's forehead and wore them around his neck. Only then did he sprint after the others.

"Tai!" WarGreymon's voice came. "Ready when you are!"

"Get into the game, buddy! Show him how it's done!"

WarGreymon leapt forward with a great roar, "Mega Claw!"

His dark counterpart replied with swift counter attacks. Both greymon hacked and slashed, blocked and parried. Their fighting strength and skill was almost equal, one fighting with the righteous fury of his partner, the other with the momentum and impending victory.

A bolt of electric energy slammed into BlackWarGreymon's side, throwing him off balance and allowing his opponent a short window of opportunity. WarGreymon finished with a swipe to his face and a solid kick to his gut.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted, the excitement of a new victory coursing through him.

BlackWarGreymon dodged the bullet, letting it soar off past him and right into the open portal where it disappeared.

"At this rate, Tai." WarGreymon shouted over his shoulder to his partner. "We'll raze the Dark World to the ground AND take out BlackWarGreymon in one fight!"

"Fire Feather!" Piddomon's voice called. The black mega brushed aside the flames and stretched his arms in the air.

"Nova Force…" BlackWarGreymon said as he began to spin. His body was obscured by the mesmerizing movement, and he shot forward to attack.

Piddomon dodged, unaware that Parrotmon was just behind him to reinforce him. The joint counter attack never came, and BlackWarGreymon drilled right into Parrotmon's charged up headgear. The ultimate exploded into data, followed by a burst of lightning. The charge grounded through BlackWarGreymon. The mega was visibly struggling against the power of raw energy, arcs of lightning flashing along his armour. Piddomon took his chance for retaliation. He sped forward, twirling his rod.

"Apollo Tornado!" He cried.

BlackWarGreymon suddenly stood and spun with arms outstretched. His flinging gauntlet clashed with the staff. Both weapons shattered from the impact, providing a moment of shock for all onlookers. A champion's rod had broken a mega's? Fortune was surely on the Chosen's side.

The dark mega recovered quickest, and with a growl plunged his one good gauntlet into Piddomon's chest. The crackling of lightning sounded as the energy rushed from BlackWarGreymon into his opponent. Piddomon's body dissolved without another sound.

Tai cursed, running forward with fierce anger. "You!"

"Tai!" WarGreymon scolded. "Stay back! Keep your distance."

The boy grudgingly obeyed, earning a small chuckle from BlackWarGreymon. "I seem to be out of time to deal with you."

"So what?" Tai shouted back. "We sure as hell aren't done with you!"

"Another time, Chosen. I hope you understand." BlackWarGreymon hurried off to the staircase. Kari was no doubt getting close to the pedestal upstairs.

It was a moment of back luck for the Digidestined and the Chosen digimon. Tai stood at the base of the stairs, right in the middle of the mega's path. He stood his ground, knowing his partner would respond in time. He stretched out his arms to full length to show his resistance to the opponent. BlackWarGreymon didn't slow in his speeding approach. Tai glared hard at the coming mega, ready for whatever was to come. The black digimon suddenly stopped short and took a quick hop backwards, allowing an orange figure to streak past him and crash into the nearby wall. BlackWarGreymon took this chance and lept right over Tai and bounded up the staircase.

The boy's partner shook himself off and charged forward. "Get back here, BlackWarGreymon!"

"I know where you're going! Stay away from her!" Tai was almost screaming as BlackWarGreymon flew up the stairs. The boy gave chase to the huge mega. It was several painful seconds before WarGreymon passed his partner up and was clear to attack.

"Great Tornado!"

WarGreymon slammed his adversary in the back just as they reached the next level. The two tumbled several metres end over end before BlackWarGreymon separated himself and continued running. He was going faster; he was still taking advantage of momentum. Tai stopped in his tracks as he reached the top of the stairs, frozen in disbelief at the determination of his enemy.

They were out of options. With BlackWarGreymon moving so fast, there wasn't anything more they could do. WarGreymon wouldn't be able to catch up. A single attack wouldn't kill him. They would have to wreak as much havoc as they could in an effort to slow BlackWarGreymon down. At this point, that was all they needed to do. If they couldn't destroy him, they would give Kari time to do the job for them. Tai scanned over the room. Bringing BlackWarGreymon would require something drastic, something catastrophic. Tai was willing to do whatever. Even if it meant he would be killed in the process. He would go even that far to buy his sister a few moments in her mission. They were cutting it close. He had just seen the white garb of Angewomon disappear to the upper level. Kari needed only a minute more. Tai knew he could buy her that much. Only, the cost would be his life.

The child of Courage took a deep breath to steel himself as he called to his partner, "WarGreymon."

"Got an idea, Tai?"

"Bring the ceiling down."

"What?!" WarGreymon turned to him, incredulous.

"Don't hesitate! Just do it! Trip BlackWarGreymon up and bring down the ceiling!"

Complying, WarGreymon swept off one of his Dramon Killer gauntlets and hurled it at his opponent in a single, agile movement. The claw zipped forward, slicing through any dark ones and pseudo-digimon before slashing into one of BlackWarGreymon's calves. The dark mega bellowed in anger and pain as he fell to his knees. WarGreymon didn't hesitate to gather energy for his final strike, but he stared long and sorrowfully at Tai as he did so.

"Courage kindles the fire that gives Light," the mega stated solemnly.

Tai nodded, his mannerism becoming equally grave. "Let the Light shine under the sky once more." He rose his voice in triumph. "Finish the job, WarGreymon!"

"Terra..." The orange mega leapt into the air, raising the fully charged sphere of fire. "FORCE!" He hurled it with a roar towards the point in the ceiling right above BlackWarGreymon.

The ball of fire was thrown close enough to the ceiling that it's path was traced with deep fissures in the rock, all the way up to the point where it collided solidly with the obsidian.

The building itself seemed to tremble with the force of that final, furious attack. The explosion was large enough to reach down from the ceiling and envelop BlackWarGreymon, and entrapped him within a mini-volcanic burst. Fiery rocks clambered down upon him; the ground split beneath him, tripping him up as he tried to escape the inferno. When the initial flare from the pseudo-sun lessened, the damage left behind was severe. The obsidian rock was on fire and rent with many cracks and fissures. The ceiling was already giving way.

Tai was relatively safe for the moment. He stood directly beneath the supporting archway of the staircase. If that thing cracked and fell, the whole tower would soon follow. The boy wasn't certain WarGreymon's attack was THAT powerful.

A huge slab gave way with a deafening crunch and began to fall in the vicinity of BlackWarGreymon. The dark mega readied his ensnared body as best he could for the impact, and at the last moment thrust his remaining gauntlet upwards. If he'd had both Dramon destroyers, he just might have successfully defended himself. Instead, the gauntlet was shattered, and the mega pinned beneath the five-ton slab of black rock.

WarGreymon was encountering troubles of his own. All the fake digimon still remaining on the floor were now focused on bringing him down. Their yells and roars filled the dark place, complementing the sounds of destruction coming from the shattering obsidian. The orange mega danced about, throwing off any dark one fool enough to touch him and keeping an eye in Tai's direction. If they survived this initial tremor, he would race over and carry Tai out in a heartbeat. At the moment, however, his focus was entirely on surviving the falling rocks and angered dark ones. There was an uneasy noise filtering through the chaos, louder and louder. It was originating from beyond the stairs that led down towards the gate. He saw his partner there, gazing into the darkness, standing right out in the open.

They emerged from the shadows faster than boy or digimon could register. An influx of black creatures from the World of Darkness.

"TAI!" WarGreymon bellowed as he watched his partner become enveloped by the mass of swimming black bodies. "Get away from him, useless spawn! Tai!"

The orange mega strove forward, slashing at the flood of dark ranks, sacrificing getting hit by falling boulders from above if it meant he could spend more focus on moving forward. His body was being beaten low to the ground, but still he pushed closer and closer.

WarGreymon froze as the creatues parted to reveal Tai in a death grip. The digimon knew not to underestimate the creatures – or overestimate the human body. The dark one could easily break Tai's neck in an instant. WarGreymon wished to delay that for as long as possible.

"Tai..."

The boy spoke against the clawed hand against his neck. "This is how far I'll go for her. No regrets, WarGreymon. We did what we needed to do. Get to—"

Tai was cut off by an ear-splitting snap from above them. WarGreymon jerked his head up in response and was just in time to see the shattered archway's massive fragments come crashing down on the horde of creatures. He recognized immediately a sudden absence. His will to fight was gone; his tested and tried strength finally waned. WarGreymon sank to his knees, his head lifted once more. A large boulder broke free from the thinning ceiling and came falling straight for him. The mega finally let his energy release.

"For the DigiWorld," he mumbled as he watched the rock come down upon him, approaching much slower than his degeneration.

Two tons of obsibian smashed straight through him and came to rest on the cold ground.

Like boy, like partner.

* * *

><p><em>So yeah...two months max before next update...hoping for the best.<em>

_It's good to be writing again!_


	12. The Light Shines

_Well, I finally managed to update. Not going to set myself another deadline, but I hope this proves that I'm still working on these fics, and will someday finish them._

_I just hope you guys stay around that long :P_

_Anyway, this chapter's been too long in coming - read on!_

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Light Shines<strong>

The rookies kept close behind her as she followed her partner with bleary eyes. This was too much. This world was too cruel. In the moment where there was nothing she would rather do than pour her sorrows and fear onto her brother's shoulder, he shoved her ahead, placing the fate of the Digital World on her. The burden was on her shoulders, and in the moment, it was hell to bear it. Kari couldn't keep their faces from passing before her eyes. Images kept flowing in front of her as she trudged up the stairs to the room where salvation awaited. She should be excited that the job was finished, but there was that intolerable burden. It was draining the very life from her as she steadily followed Angewomon towards the fated room.

She heard the crash behind her, and knew that the duel of the Greymon was still heated. Tai was still fighting. He was still buying her time. Did she have what it would take to make it to that pedestal, before the rest of their failing fortune ran out?

She felt alone already. Terribly alone. Despite the sounds of her brother's fight, despite the remnant rookies keeping close behind her, despite her partner lighting up a way before her, she was alone in this final race. No one said a word. Angewomon didn't even make the effort to call out an attack as she launched a weapon of light into the unrelenting horde around them. This was the focus during the final mile. The silent but straining push.

If she failed, the gems of her entire generation would have died for nothing.

They were the Digidestined, after all, and not just one of a million. They were the beacons. They were the Chosen Children. They bore the light of virtues. They were the vaccines to a world full of vice. And they had all laid down their lives for a world that they had only known for a few years.

The shattering of her heart was as potent as the shattering of the black floor before her.

They had just set foot on that floor where the first pedestal stood, and right on cue, the tower was shaken from its foundations. Every single thing that had been standing, save the pedestal, was thrown to the ground. Kari struggled to regain her footing, but she saw the cracks begin to line the floor. Her support started to seem precariously fragile, as if she would slip right through to the level below.

"Careful now," Angewomon called, hovering over Kari and keeping a close watch. "We don't want to make any more mistakes."

Kari moved cautiously, paranoid that the racket of the black creatures around her would be the catalyst to the floor's collapse. Angewomon watched them carefully as they swarmed around the group. There was a great deal of pressure on her too to keep Kari away from harm. At any instant, the floor could give way, and bring the child of Light down with it.

Through all the chaos, their destination stayed clear. The pedestal remained firm, an unflatering post in a quaking battlefield. And yet, Kari could hardly walk due to the trembling. Angewomon hovered down to her level and lent her a hand to help her forward. As they walked along, a strange feeling came over the girl, seeping into her being. The immediate area around the two became washed with a soft glow, and Kari presently realized it was coming from her and her digimon.

It was raw power. The surrounding shadow beings flung themselves at the group in a desperate effort to keep them away from the pedestal. Kari held the key ring close as she continued on. Somehow the glow that covered her and the digimon seemed to repel the creatures, causing then great pain upon contact. Despite this fortunate turn of evens, Kari knew it wouldn't last forever. She was drawing this ppwer from Angewomon, and knew her partner would tire quickly if she sapped too much of it. They still weren't safe, despite how close they were.

Kari suddenly lifted her head. "Wingdramon! Take the smaller ones and get out of here!" She gestured to the rookies and in training digimon that guarded her back. Each one of her friends shot her a questioning look.

"Kari?" Tsunomon whispered in shock.

A roar from below brought them all back into the moment.

"I want to make sure you all make it out, okay?" Kari said. "I'll come after you as soon as I can."

"But Kari," Tentomon started, but was interrupted by the girl.

"Angewomon's staying with me to finish this. The DigiWorld's almost safe and you guys need to be there to see it!"

Wingdramon was convinced, and swooped down to scoop up the weaker digimon. "Good luck, child." He nodded to her once before taking off.

"Thank you all for everything!" She waved after them as they screamed back at her. She knew their concern, and knew they were right. She wouldn't have the time to come after them, would she?

Kari almost broke down right there, and would have if Angewomon wasn't holding her hand and leading her on. They crossed the last few paces to the keyhole, the sea of shadows now screaming with insanity around them. Angewomon shot beam after beam of heavenly light into the masses while Kari prepared the ring. She held it over the peg and began to slide it on.

Kari's eyes narrowed. It wasn't slipping on like she thought it would. She pressed down on it, but it resisted her. Kari frowned. She wasn't going to let the gate decide whether it wanted to close or not. She needed to get it shut and do it fast. The girl shoved the ring down with all her might, and tried to hold it here. It pushed back against her.

"Angewomon, I need help! It's almost on, we just need a little more..."

The angel turned and, quickly assessing the situation, placed her hands around Kari's and helped her push. Slowly, the ring slid the last couple inches into place. The aura around the two was a sufficient defence for the moment, until a rumbling rose over the quaking of the tower's foundation.

"Angewomon... Is that...it...?" Kari said with the first signs of hope in her voice.

The angel nodded. "Yes. That's the front gates closing. The portal to the Dark World will be next."

Kari lowered her head, multitude of emotions racing through her. "I want you to go."

"What?!"

"Go and escape. The light will keep me safe here."

"Kari..." Angewomon was taken aback by the idea. "No."

"Yes." Kari's voice was even firmer than her partner's. "I want you to live in the Digital World we saved, too."

"If I left you behind, there would be nothing! Being with you is my destiny. I'm not leaving."

"Our destiny...is to save worlds. This is how I'm saving ours." She looked up at her partner. "But you... And the others... I have a feeling you are still needed out there… somewhere. Please, Angewomon. Even if none of you can digivolve you still have what it takes to save the world."

"Please..." Angewomon faltered. She had long since learned to trust Kari's feelings. But to abandon her partner?

"Just go!" Kari ordered, interrupting her thoughts. "You're running out of time!"

Angewomon slowly relinquished her grip on Kari's hands and watched as the girl held down the key under her own strength.

"Thank you, for everything." Kari said through clenched and streaming eyes. "Now please, escape this place."

"Kari..."

"GO!"

Angewomom started off, only to hesitate once more. She cast a circle of pink light around her, and cast it off in all directions. "Heaven's Charm!"

One last act of protection over her partner, and then she departed.

And Kari was alone. She still held tightly to the key as sobs began to shake her body. It was ending, in the best and worst possible ways. Within moments, she heard a great pound reverberate throughout the structure of the tower, telling her that the gates were closed. Immediately after that, the key ring's resistance to her grip disappeared, and the room fell quiet, save for the occasional quiver of the weakening building.

She looked around her, eyes wide, trying to assess her situation. The shadows were still, though every single pair of their sunken eyes bore into her. They couldn't approach her due to the glowing barrier. She just had to keep her light close, and they couldn't harm her. It was a match of stamina versus patience, and there was usually only one who won a battle like that.

The shadows were simmering, seething. She could see the anger in their eyes and feel the atmosphere of hatred towards her. She had foiled them all, and locked them away in the dark. Never once until this moment did she think about what she would do if she were to find herself locked up along with them. It was suicide, she knew that much. That was the gut feeling that pushed her to send Angewomon on. But now she had to deal with them alone. No Gatomon. No TK. Was Tai still alive? Would he come crashing through this mangy crowd to be with her in their last moments?

Kari was soon leaning on the pedestal, her knees growing weak. Though she had borrowed the aura from Angewomon, she was now keeping it sustained through her own willpower, but even that was waning fast. The beings around began to slowly circle around, still watching her with ravenous looks. They sensed her weariness, and knew the time was near.

The once gentle quaking suddenly intensified and a tremendous cracking sound split the heavy atmosphere. Kari shot a look up to see giant chunks of obsidian falling from the ceiling. The shadows shrieked in unison as they all realized the tower was finally collapsing in on itself. The stones crushed them by the hundreds, but now there was no leash on the creatures' fury.

Kari sank to her knees as she felt a strange sensation of falling. She clung tight to the pedestal - the final beacon of strength in the tower, hoping it would keep her safe.

Though it remained a steady anchor in the middle of a collapsing floor, her light was dimming, and she knew that her last line of defence was wearing thin. She had become, quite literally, a dying bulb, flickering in its last few minutes before burning out. They were coming closer, becoming bolder.

Yet at that last possible moment, it truly dawned on her. The DigiDestined had won.

With that thought in mind, she relinquished, and let the light dissipate. The entire room was plunged into blackness. Kari hadn't realized that she had been the _only_ source of light in the obsidian tower, but now she was alone in the dark. Completely vulnerable, but fully satisfied. Her errand was finished.

The next instant, a body slammed into her from the front, and she found herself flat on her back with one of the shadow beings on top of her. Claws closed around her neck, causing terror to shimmer throughout her. Kari clutched at the being's wrists. She found it difficult to get a good grip, due to the almost elastic texture of the creature's body. Its snarls came uncomfortably close to her face, though she could see nothing.

The voice came soon after, raspy and sullen. "You will die. Just like the one before her."

More tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes as she understood its meaning. "Tai…?"

The pressure on her throat increased. "You're dead!"

"You're fallen," Kari replied, lifting D3 in front of her to where she guessed the being's face was. Perhaps she had enough strength to fight just a little bit longer. There was no reason to, but she wasn't quite ready to die. Light burst out from the digivice and struck the shadow between the eyes. It reeled back with a guttural scream, giving Kari the breathing room to stand.

The creatures around her slowed their approach, intimidated by the aura from her digivice. Gentle light once again spread into the shadows. Kari once again gripped to the pedestal. The glorious words once again flowed through her mind as she watched the sulking mobs. They had won. She wanted to survive in this moment for just a while longer. She wanted to feel that triumph.

And yet, her strength finally failed. The light flickered out one last time, and the hordes converged on her without further hesitation. Clawed hands tore at her, and before long the pink D3 was ripped from her grip. Kari was driven to the ground by the masses attacking her, and screamed each time she felt their hands rend into her flesh. There was nothing else they could accomplish other than their vengeance, and that was Kari's final comfort. These creatures would all perish in a matter of minutes, and the Digital World would be saved once more.

Kari's blood flowed freely, and her mind slipped into a weary, passive state. After a few moments, she was nearly beyond the point of feeling. Her heart, however, managed to beat with joy for a few more seconds as her mind proclaimed her victory.

"Tai," she whispered, her senses beginning to fade. "TK… Everyone… We won."

Her joy sprung up like a shield, throwing her attackers off her. They shrieked obscenity at her while the remaining supports of the building snapped. In her final seconds, Kari was able to lie in peace as the tower finally crumbled in on itself.

But the child of Light was gone even before the hundred tons of stone came crashing down upon her and her dark companions.

* * *

><p><em>Interim chapter next, then on to the Tamers!<em>

_Thanks for reading._


	13. Interim: Beacon

_Hey! I actually managed an update._

_August is basically Digimon month for me, so I've been giving myself a lot of inspiration. That's the only possible explanation for updating a week after ending a one year hiatus. _

_Thanks for the feedback, everyone! It's great to see there are people still interested in this. Read on!_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Beacon<strong>

The sea was calm. Barren, perhaps, but calm. A perfect representation of the island that it surrounded. Grey and burning, ravaged and nearly devoid of life. Infinity Mountain still stood tall, though littered with the debris of the broken dark Tower. For a place that was standing in the first hours of its salvation, the air was heavy with sadness.

Five digimon sat together on one of the last grassy hills on File Island – a round jetty sitting on the edge of a crystalline lake. Before them, facing the waters, were 18 risen stones, marking 18 graves. Only four of those graves were occupied. The rest were memoirs.

A gentle breeze flowed over their little knoll, carrying fresh air from the nearby ocean. This place was close to the Chosen's hearts. It was the place the DigiDestined spent their first night in the Digital Realm. Garurumon made his first appearance here; the children made their first departure. Now the remaining Chosen digimon had decided this was the place to entrust the memory of their deceased partners.

They were the victors.

Angewomon had made it out of the obsidian Tower just as the huge stone that served as the front gate slammed shut. There the surviving digimon had waited breathlessly to see what would happen next. Once they all noticed that the building was imploding, they gave out a quick cheer of victory. Eaglemon and Wingdramon then proceeded to carry them out of the debris zone, picking up the bodies of TK and Cody on their way. Shortly after, Angewomon had reverted all the way back to Salamon. Her strength was completely gone, rendering her unable to keep her champion form. With that, they knew Kari's fate was the same as her friends.

The digimon had recovered TK and Cody, and it seemed the next best thing to do was see who else they could find. Those within the Tower were irretrievable, but there a few others whose bodies could be spared. Veemon had led the digimon down to the waterfront where Yolei was slain, and then on towards the forest where TK had been taken by the Dokugumon. No one knew where Sora lay – the only ones who had discovered here were now gone themselves.

But they had eventually gathered up everyone they could, which boiled down to those four children. Eaglemon and Wingdramon served as their main method of transportation to the lake with the tram car. After helping the digimon bury their partners, the two paid their respects and departed. The five remaining sat where they were for the rest of the day. Tsunomon's eyes smarted with regret. Tentomon stood with his head leaning against Izzy's tombstone. Gomamon lay flat in front of Joe's spot, wondering where his partner's resting place might be. They hadn't been able to find Joe's body. Salamon sat between TK and Kari. She had set TK's bucket hat on top of his stone, where the wind softly played with it. She hadn't moved from that spot since. Veemon sat in front of Davis, the boy's goggles still slung around his neck. He stared listlessly over the water, feeling useless for the first time since becoming a Chosen digimon.

The sun was beginning to set before the scene changed. The crunch of footsteps on dirt approached the digimon remnant, though none of them turned to see who the newcomer was.

A heavy, deep-voiced hum softly sifted through the silence. It was a voice the digimon knew very well, and hence they gave no immediate response. The digital man had finally arrived on the scene. He walked up and sat cross-legged in front of the 18 graves.

"I never thought I'd see the day," the old one said. "Thank you, children. For the freedom you've given this world."

At his words and his presence, Salamon finally turned to face him. "Gennai... Will we ever see them again?"

Gennai's ancient countenance weakened. "That is the hardest question of all. As you all know, the hearts of humans and digimon are alike in every way. But it's the vessel that carries the heart that is what separates your existence. The soul. A digimon's soul persists with its data and keeps it within the Digital plane. No matter how many times you are reconfigured, you will remain in the familiar realm with its familiar laws. A human soul, however, is a mystery to all. Everyone has their speculations, though it is hard to know the truth. Some say the soul reincarnates after cleansing itself of the memories of the previous life. Others say the soul is freed from this plane of existence, travelling beyond the reach of any living thing."

"So we won't see them," Salamon summed up bitterly. "They either reincarnate and forget about us or move on to a place no one can find."

"They're only theories. But no. No human has been confirmed to have lived two lives in the Real World."

Gomamon sighed. "What did you come for, Gennai? I doubt you just wanted to talk to tombstones."

"Hush up," hissed Tsunomon.

"No," Gennai said. "As important as it is that I voice my thanks and respect to the fallen, there is more."

"What is it now?" Gomamon wearily whined. His comment wasn't out of annoyance, but of pure exhaustion.

Gennai grunted distastefully. "It isn't an immediate problem. After all, the Tower on Infinity Mountain was a tool to exploit an uncommon, though recurrent dimensional rift. You DigiDestined drove them back and sealed the rift. There will be no more troubles here in this realm for quite some time."

"Finally, some good news." Salamon said.

"But when you are ready, for those of you who are up for it, there is another job to be done."

Salamon eyed Gennai suspiciously. "What kind of job?"

The old man paused to formulate his sentence. He wasn't sure how his news would be accepted by these distraught digimon. "There is a similar kind of trouble brewing, elsewhere. This rift that you have just sealed is cause to a dimensional warp that occurs every few millennia. The warp directly affects the connection between the Digital, Dark, and Human worlds. However, due to its scale, the warp also spreads to the parallel worlds that are closest to ours."

"What does that even mean?" Salamon asked.

"The Human World has a parallel alternate. The evolution of humans there is nearly identical to the humans here. Their technology has reached the same point as well, and has such generated a Digital World based on the same laws as ours."

"What makes it different?" Tentomon piped up.

"The first emergence of digimon in that world was handled very differently. This is where it gets incredibly complicated and involves some messy history between our two worlds. I don't know if any of you are aware, but TK has been documenting your adventures on his own personal computer. Since the stories had a digital presence, they were affected some time ago by the ripples from the coming warp. As a result of this, the documents slipped through an early sub-rift and made an appearance in the alternate Human World."

"An appearance?"

"They appeared on someone's hard drive in the other world after a session of digital distortion. As it so happened, that same distortion allowed a digimon to appear in the Human World."

Salamon tilted her head as she tried to follow the old man's story. "Like Parrotmon and Greymon?"

"It would have been a similar situation, if TK's documents had never appeared. But they did, and the one who read them was in a position of technological prowess. He was able to deal with the digimon and set up a system that would prevent further emergences."

"So are there no DigiDestined in that alternate world?"

"Not in the same manner, though there are children there with digimon partners. But also, there is more to how TK's stories affected that world. The man turned them over to be put into production, in order to deal with public knowledge of digimon. They were made into a television series."

"What?!" Barked Tsunomon.

"All your adventures between the children's first advent, to your defeating Armageddemon, have been produced as TV shows and movies."

"So..." Gomamon said slowly. "We're celebrities in the alternate world?"

"In a sense," Gennai replied with a soft chuckle. "But you are also fiction."

"Oh," the digimon moaned. "That's harsh."

"Well, here comes my request for you digimon. You have a chance to change that perception and become reality in this parallel world. The rift you have just sealed here is now affecting them and their Digital World, and soon they will be attacked in a similar manner to how our world has. The children there and their partners have had no experience fighting the denizens of the Dark World as you have. They will need that knowledge of yours if they are going to keep their casualties to a minimum."

"So we're gonna do it all over again?" Veemon finally spoke, his voice weak and tired.

"Only if you want," said Gennai sympathetically. "I am simply asking you. This world is safe, and you have the choice to stay here. Those in the other world have yet to withstand the trial that you have so bravely survived. I know it is in their better interest if you go."

Salamon sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll go. Kari did say that we were still needed somewhere. I don't know what I can possibly do, but I know better than to doubt her instincts."

Tentomon buzzed over to her. "Did she mean all of us?"

"Yes. She mentioned you all too."

Gomamon straightened up. "Then don't leave me out of it."

Tsunomon nodded. "I've got a weird feeling too. Maybe we'll be able to actually save lives, like there are other children out there that we're destined to save. No one will replace our partners, but every child deserves our protection."

"Well said." Gennai replied.

"Veemon?" Salamon walked over to the blue digimon. "You up to it?"

He clamped his eyes shut as small tears leaked out, but he nodded. "I was sitting under an egg until Davis found me. I don't want to end up that helpless now that he's gone." He stood up and stretched. Veemon wiped the tears before they could even fall, and looked over the lake one more time. "Let's go make ourselves useful."

Gennai stood up and brushed himself off. "Very well. A gate to their world should open up tonight. The tram should pass by this very spot. Be sure to watch for it."

"Will you see us off?" Tsunomon asked.

"If you wish, yes I can," Gennai replied kindly.

"Does this gate go to their Human World or their Digital World?" Salamon said.

"Well," Gennai paused to speculate. "I believe that this gate will drop you off in the same place it did last time."

"Last time?"

"Er, let me rephrase that." Gennai stroked his chin. "This area is connected to a certain place in the Human World. The DigiDestined used it once before when they departed after Apocalymon's defeat. Wherever they landed, you will also land, though you will be in the alternate universe. I'm certain that area will be Tokyo, though which district, I cannot tell you."

"Let's hope it's close to their DigiDestined."

"Yes. And one more thing. The children may be DigiDestined, but they may not call themselves that either. Remind yourselves often that you will be in a parallel world. Though everything will seem the same, it will most definitely be very different."

"Thanks, Gennai." Salamon said. "Wish us luck."

"Go ahead and rest now. I will wake you when the time comes near."

"Chances are we won't even wake up," Gomamon chirped.

"In which case I will put you on the tram myself, if that is all right with you."

"Sure. As long as we don't miss our train."

"Very well." Gennai said with finality. He knew the truth in Gomamon's words – once the digimon fell asleep, they wouldn't wake up until they reached the other dimension. "I will say farewell now, then. Thank you all for everything, and do your best on the other side."

"Thank you, too, Gennai." Tentomon said as the others made themselves comfortable. "We'll see you when we get back."

The old man stood sentry for a time until all the digimon were sound asleep. Once he heard their snores begin to rise into the air, he let his stature break. Though he had the body of an obviously aging old man, he had kept a lively mask in front of the remnant digimon. Now he let himself frown and sag as he watched the remaining sunset.

"Your sacrifice is heavy," he said to them softly. "But you have proven yourselves beacons in the darkness. This new world stands in the shadow of a living tsunami, and you are the ones who will lead them to salvation.

"I can only hope you all will manage to return."

* * *

><p><em>This means that I'm officially making this whole story one single plot, instead of ending with each continuity. Second arc starts next!<em>

_I've also decided to give each Tamer two chapters to help compensate for the smaller main cast._

_Keep in touch_


	14. Thought

_We're on a roll here. Read on!_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Thought<strong>

"_Now arriving at Tochomae Station. Please watch your step when exiting. Thank you for using Toei Oedo."_

A pile of small bodies stirred lazily at the muffled voice. Gomamon was the first to open his eyes, and was instantly wide awake. They were on a subway. He glanced around, knowing what to expect, but desperately wanting more. He remembered last time he was in this setting, and he felt a painful nostalgia set in. Tsunomon sat on top of Tentomon next to him, and with one look the two knew they were both feeling the same thing. Salamon was shaking awake an exhausted Veemon, while Tentomon stood gingerly.

"_Last call for Tochomae. Next stop is Shinjukunishiguchi."_

"Let's hurry and get off, guys." Salamon spoke up, and led the group out the closing doors. The station was barely populated, which struck Gomamon as strange. He recalled how he and Joe had gotten separated from the others due to the bustling crowds. It was an eerie contrast. The little group of small digimon found the stairs that led above ground. Even the streets seemed relatively empty and devoid of activity. There were certainly signs of life – cars parked alongside the road, people shuffling around in a nearby convenience store, the occasional pedestrian. It all felt so empty compared to their previous visits. Gomamon followed the others as they aimlessly wandered down the sidewalk. The stairs from the subway had let them out underneath a bridge, but as they came out from under it, they found themselves in the shadow of a colossal sized building. There were several other tall apartment complexes and such around them, but this one was towering. It was unique. It _felt_ different. Gomamon wasn't sure if it was good or bad. He returned his attention back down to earth to see the others a few paces in front of him. They were also transfixed by their surroundings.

He called out to them, "Hey, do any of you know where we are?"

They stopped and turned to him, and then looked at each other. Tentomon hovered up a little higher than the others, but shook his head. "Gennai said we would most likely end up in Tokyo. But I don't recognize any of this."

Salamon walked forward. "Should we see if we can find our way to Odaiba?"

"We don't even know which direction Odaiba is," said Gomamon with a shrug. "But hey. It's better than going nowhere."

They all continued on in the same direction as before, with the same demeanour. Gomamon glowered as he glanced back at up at the taunting building. There was something emanating from it, and Gomamon wondered if the others felt it. The base of the structure stood about as tall as the apartments around it, but two towers rose up from opposite sides of this base.

"What is that place?" Gomamon murmured out loud. A couple of his comrades looked up at it.

"Dunno," Veemon replied simply.

"Seems like a government building to me," Tsunomon said matter-of-factly.

"Guys," Salamon said suddenly. They had wandered right into the middle of a T-intersection. "We should get into cover. That looks like a park over there. Let's go."

Just as they scampered out of the road and into a parking lot, they heard a child's voice erupt from behind them.

"HEY! Wait up!"

The group of five digimon turned to see a group of three children trailing them. The kids were on the far side of the intersection still, but it was too late to hide from them. The foremost one, a boy in a blue shirt, was waving at them as he yelled. He would have run right into the street if it weren't for another boy behind him shouting, "Takato!"

The third child, a girl, grabbed the first boy around the shoulders and wrestled him back onto the sidewalk just as a car came racing down the street. Its horn blared as it passed by.

Both groups stared at each other for a short moment after that. Then a small red dinosaur appeared from behind the blue-shirted boy and ran across the intersection.

"Gah, Guilmon!" They boy yelled after the creature and took off after him. The two behind him checked the road for incoming vehicles. When they confirmed the coast was clear, they too joined in on the jaywalking.

Before the kids had made it even halfway across the road, Salamon whispered to her comrades. "Think we should run?"

"I don't think so," Tentomon said. "That red one looks like a digimon to me. These children are probably the DigiDestined of this world."

"If you say so."

"Let's see what they want," Veemon suggested. The rest agreed and they waited for the three children to reach them. Aside from the red digimon, there was a small green and white one hanging from the second boy's shoulders. The way this was looking, the girl should have had a digimon too, but there was no third. The children came right up in front of the digimon and stopped to catch their breath.

"Were…you…guys…" the first boy panted, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. "The ones… at the… subway station?"

Veemon tilted his head. "Huh?"

The second boy spoke up. "You all bio-emerged and arrived at the subway station, right?"

"Bio-what?" Gomamon barked.

"We just came out of the subway station, yes." Salamon stated. "Who are you guys?"

The blue shirted boy had gotten his breath back and straightened up. "Oh right. I'm Takato." He gestured to the red digimon. "And this is Guilmon."

Takato then put his hand on the shoulder of the boy next to him.

"This is Henry."

The boy smiled kindly as the digimon on his other shoulder piped up. "I'm Terriermon! And don't you forget it."

Henry's smile wavered as he flushed in embarrassment. "I'm not sure that makes a good first impression."

"What?!"

Takato laughed nervously and waved to the girl on his opposing side. "Then there's Rika and her partner Renamon."

The digimon collectively gasped when they saw the third creature appear from nowhere. She nodded at them solemnly.

"Hi there," Veemon said, more out of reverence than anything.

Takato said, "You fellas seem nice enough. What're you doing here?"

The five Chosen exchanged glances. Tentomon buzzed up. "Well… It's pretty complicated."

"How complicated?" Henry asked. "Try us."

"Hey wait," Takato cut in. "You sound familiar, Tentomon."

"How did you know my name?" The beetle replied curiously.

"Seriously?" The girl spoke up. "We know what all of you are."

"Tentomon, Tsunomon, Gomamon, Salamon, and Veemon," Henry counted.

"Whoa," Gomamon breathed. "You guys are good. You must be this universe's DigiDestined!"

"DigiDestined?" Takato asked.

Henry frowned. "What do you mean, 'this universe'?"

Salamon looked around. "You could say we're not from here."

"I know you're from the Digital World. Is that what you're talking about?"

"Not really. I mean… Yes, we are from DigiWorld. But not _your_ DigiWorld."

Takato had walked up and knelt in front of Veemon. The blue digimon flashed the boy a friendly grin. Takato sighed thoughtfully. "DigiWorld, huh? The way you guys talk is so familiar…" His eyes fell on the goggles hanging from Veemon's neck. His face lit up. "Hold on a minute!"

He glanced around frantically at each of the five small digimon. His face became more and more awestruck.

"Guys, it's them."

"Huh?" Henry's eyes narrowed.

"Don't think too hard, Takato," Rika said. "You get delusions easy, remember?"

The boy frowned at her. "I'm serious."

Veemon spoke up. "That settles it. We found the right kids!

"Positive?" Tsunomon asked.

The blue digimon pointed at Takato's head. "A leader of the DigiDestined wouldn't look right without his googles."

Both sides fell silent for a moment. The Chosen digimon waited for the Tamers' reactions. The three kids seemed star struck at Veemon's words. Gennai was right about the celebrity status they would get in this world. Gomamon almost laughed as the reality of it set in.

"That's…" Takato gulped. "That's what Tai said to Davis at the beginning of season two."

Another silence. The five Chosen digimon found themselves swimming in a mixture of confusion and longing. Tai and Davis yes, but season two? These kids really did know about them and their adventures, but as fiction? They weren't sure how to feel about it.

"You're Davis' partner Veemon, right?"

"Right!" Veemon replied, putting on a brave smile. The others looked at him sadly, seeing the waver in his expression.

Henry didn't fail to notice their fallen demeanour. His face took on a sympathetic look. Something was wrong. "Are you all okay?"

The five digimon trained their eyes on him. He shifted uneasily at the sudden attention, but waited to see if they had an answer. They didn't attempt to hide their expressions, and even Veemon's smile drooped.

"No," Gomamon said pointedly. "But that's what brought us here."

"Come again?"

The Chosen exchanged glances once more. Salamon decided to speak for them. "Our world was attacked by the armies of darkness, and we paid the ultimate price to win. We were sent here because we believe your world is next."

"Say what?" Takato said, dread spreading through his voice.

Rika stepped forward, concerned. "Ultimate price?"

This conversation was turning painful and moving too slow. Salamon and her comrades found themselves unable to speak yet again. It was so hard to even say it. These children's faces were filled with awe and some strange kind of hope. It was as if the mere appearance of the Chosen digimon showed them that even their most far-fetched dreams had a chance of coming true. The chance to meet a fabled group of DigiDestined. They had just discovered that their favourite characters were more than just fiction. But now, these kids were about to find out that those legendary characters were _dead._ They didn't deserve to know that.

"We were separated from our friends, and now we've ended up here." Salamon avoided answering the girl's question entirely. "And we plan on doing everything we can to help you save this world."

"Okay," Takato said, satisfied with her answer. "What do we do?"

Tentomon hummed quizzically. "Have you noticed anything strange going on recently?"

"Not really?"

Henry spoke up. "Your appearance was strange."

"Naturally," Salamon scoffed. "We were sent through a dimensional rift that happens once every thousand years."

"Alright," the dark-haired boy replied. "Other than that things have been pretty normal around here."

"Maybe something's going on in DigiWorld?" Tsunomon volunteered. Henry thought the suggestion through.

"We can check with Mr Yamaki. He and his team are always monitoring digital activity. They were the ones who told us you were bio-emerging here in the first place."

"What's with this bio-ewhatever thing you keep mentioning?" Gomamon asked.

"Bio-emerging. It's when an entity from the Digital World phases across dimensions and emerges here in the Real World."

"You use big words for a little guy," the white digimon replied.

Tentomon's voice was shaky as he spoke. "Just like Izzy." He fluttered over and hovered above Henry's head. The boy looked up at him in wonder.

"Now that's a compliment. You really must be his partner…"

"Where's this Mr Yamaki guy you mentioned?" Salamon cut in, trying to change the subject. Takato pointed up at the huge building Gomamon had been staring at earlier.

"The top floors of the Metropolitan are Hypnos' base." Takato said, "That's were Mr Yamaki works."

"Let's go then," said Tsunomon. "The sooner we can prepare, the better."

The group made their way out of the park and onto the sidewalk. The children led the digimon towards the crosswalk this time around instead of running out into the open. The entrance to the Metropolitan government towers was close to the crosswalk anyway. Gomamon stared curiously at the light traffic.

"Where is everyone? I always remember Tokyo being really busy."

"You came at the right time," said Rika. "Rush hour just ended a short time ago.

"Wow. Finally a little luck."

"A little," echoed Veemon.

Barely anyone within the building gave the children and the pack of digimon a second glance. They were paid to do so. Yamaki's job had been to control outbreaks within the Real World, for fear of creating panic within the public. Keeping witnesses quiet was a small but important part of that job. Due to the children's frequent visits to Hypnos as of late, the simplest solution was to shut up the local workers with money.

After a long ride up the elevators, the group finally made it into Hypnos. The Monster Makers were still employed by Yamaki, though their shifts didn't always have them all working at the same time. The three children ran through the office filled with adults, sudden pride filling their gait.

"Mr Yamaki!" Takato called. The man in question was standing by the window. "Mr Yamaki, you won't believe this!"

The group gathered in front of the man. Takato gestured at the five Chosen digimon.

"These were the digimon that came through the gate. You know the TV series they made? These are the real ones! The ones from the show!"

The bond man slipped his shades off his eyes and scrutinized the digimon. He nodded. "So the stories were true, then. They seemed written with the conviction of non-fiction, as imaginary as they seemed."

He paused to mull over his thoughts for a short moment, and then looked at the children. "I guess now would be a good time to tell you kids. Those two series of Digimon Adventure were based off of a few stories that I stumbled upon digitally."

"Huh?" Henry gasped, incredulous. "You?"

"Yes. Years ago, there was a case of widespread network distortion. My computer froze up, and after I rebooted it, I found a series of rough stories on my hard drive. I recognized that they were related in a way to the artificial life forms the Monster Makers created, so with a little collaboration, the stories were adapted into an animation. I never expected it to be so popular."

"You had the stories too?" Mr Wong asked as he walked over. "Those files were a huge inspiration for the more sophisticated designs we created."

"These files…" Salamon mumbled stepping forward. "The stories..."

Tsunomon hopped beside her. "Who wrote them?"

"The author," Yamaki paused to think. He hadn't spent much time dwelling on the stories since he signed them off to the production company. "Some kid named… TK?"

"Yeah…" Tsunomon breathed out. Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes. "TK..."

Salamon put her paw on his head. "Keep it together."

"What's wrong?" Rika asked, kneeling beside them. "You guys get down real fast when you talk about them."

"We just miss them," Salamon said, hardening her voice. "We don't have any idea how to cross dimensions to get back to them."

That was officially a lie. There was no dimensional rift that would connect them to their partners now. Their partners weren't safe back in their homes in the other Human World. They were _gone_.

Rika kindly patted Salamon on the back. "We'll find a way."

The little white digimon shook her head. "No. We're here for a reason, and we're not going anywhere 'til the job's done."

"What reason?" Mr Wong asked.

"This world is in danger."

"How?" Yamaki asked skeptically.

Salamon stared at the two adults before her. This Yamaki fellow was apparently the same man Gennai had told them about. She wasn't used to talking about the Digital World to adults, but from everything that has happened so far, they seemed to be just as involved as the DigiDestined. What she didn't know was how much these people knew about the World of Darkness. She decided to state the obvious facts first and then try to answer any questions that might arise.

"There is an army coming to attack the DigiWorld. They will wipe out any who stand in their way as they take over eveything. They'll probably try to invade the Human World too."

"What kind of army is it?" Asked Henry. "I can't imagine it being digimon."

Salamon shook her head. "They take the form of digimon, but they're something else completely. Have you guys ever heard of the Dark World?"

She got blank stares in return.

"The Dark Ocean?"

"I remember it from the series," Takato ventured. "But we never had any run in with it ourselves."

"You're about to."

Mr Wong cut in, "Now wait just a minute! How can you be so sure? There haven't been any anomalies within either worlds in months. But now you come from nowhere to say that we're about to be invaded? What do you even expect us to do?"

"We don't know!" Tsunomon shouted. "We know how to fight them, and we know they're coming soon. Our own battle came too fast and ended too quickly for us to realize what this dark army even wants. We knew we just had to defend our land, and we did that! Now there's nothing left for us to do but make sure you make it through."

Tentomon spoke up. "We're here to warn you and offer what help we can. There's a dimensional vortex about to cross over this universe. Its approach was what allowed us to come, but it's when the rift opens that the invasion starts. All we know is that you have to keep watch for this vortex."

Yamaki continued poring over the news. "Sounds like a job for you Tamers. Don't worry, digimon. These children have defended this world more than once. With the aid of Hypnos, I'm sure we can hold a successful front against this army.

"We'll start right here. I can reschedule shifts and server checks. It sounds like the best course of action will be to keep a constant eye out for any distortion. If it's anything similar to what happened when I received that boy's stories, then we know what to look for." Yamaki led Mr Wong off towards the cubicles to get parameters and diagnostics underway. Digital networking was their area of expertise, and the Tamers trusted them completely. "Riley, go boot up Hypnos."

"Well, that's that." Takato said. "They're bringing in the big guns. They can find out where a gate is before it's even opened, so there's nothing to do now but wait."

"Just wait?" Veemon murmured. "That's all?"

Henry walked over to gaze out the window. "We take the most tactical approach around here. Mr Yamaki finds a disturbance in the digital field, and sends us to the location to investigate. That's really all we've been doing for a while now."

"Looks like you all had a really rough time, though," Rika said, now sitting next to Tsunomon. The little horned digimon was still trying his best not to break down. She watched him thoughtfully. It had been a long time since she had first seen Digimon Adventure, but those first impressions still stayed buried in her mind. It was strange digging them back up, now knowing they were much more than fiction. "I remember you… and Matt. You two were my favorites."

Tsunomon gazed up at here with a mixture of flattery and heartbreak. He suddenly jumped right into her lap and buried his face in her shirt in an attempt to hide his sobs. She held him gently, but looked up at Takato and Henry for help. Though Rika had learned how to relate with people much over recent years, she still wasn't the best at consoling anything. She looked back down at the crying digimon. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"I just… miss him… so much."

"It's okay, Tsunomon." Takato said. "Once this whole deal with the dark army is over, we'll find a way to get you guys back home."

This did nothing to comfort the little orange digimon. Henry glanced aside from the window. Something was terribly wrong with those five digimon. Sure, they were separated from their partners with almost no hope of seeing them again, but it felt like more than that. They looked beaten and exhausted, in mind as well as body. Something about their fight gave him a sense of dread. What exactly was that ultimate price they mentioned? He didn't mind that they didn't talk about it. There was probably a good reason for that. And yet, it was also hard to not know. It made him nervous about this fight that the digimon said was coming.

Guilmon looked up at his Tamer. "Who was your favorite, Takato?"

"Mine? Uh, well…let's see…" He scratched at his head, and then shifted his goggles with a smile. "I always liked Tai. But there was also something about Joe, too."

"Didn't you have a crush on Kari?" Rika snickered.

"Wha?" The gogglehead was taken aback at that. "Why would you think that? I mean, not that I don't like her or anything but…" Takato went back to rubbing his head, this time with both hands. "That's awkward, Rika, now that we know they're real and actually living out there somewhere."

Living. Henry watched the five digimon's reactions closely during the exchange. Normally, Takato being flustered was a funny sight, something to lift people's spirits. But these digimon's faces only fell further. Takato directed the conversation to him.

"What about you, Henry?"

"Huh? Oh… Izzy and TK stood out to me."

"Of course," Rika said. "You're like a combination of the two."

Henry gave a small chuckle. He supposed it was true, due to the fact that Tentomon seemed to gravitate towards him. As the conversation carried on, his attention drifted over to the cubicles where the Monster Makers worked on their network surveillance. He noticed one or two of them slipping from stall to stall, and watched as their movements overall became more frantic. His eyes narrowed, and he made his way over to investigate. Naturally, he went to his father first to see what was wrong.

He slipped into the cubicle unnoticed and stood behind his father. After a few seconds of typing furiously, Janyu slammed his hands on his desk and shoved his chair back, too quickly for Henry to react. The chair smashed into him, causing him to stumble back into the cubicle wall. Mr Wong spun at the noise, but relaxed when he saw Henry staring back. The man squeezed the bridge of his nose with a deep, stressed sigh.

"Uh, Dad… Something wrong?"

"The system's been compromised. Can't tell if it's a hacker or a virus." He ran off to another workspace to check on his teammate. Henry looked down at the monitor. The screen was filled with command-line shells scrolling page after page of some sort of coding. As tech savvy as he was, he didn't know enough to understand what actually was being done to the system. All he knew was that this shouldn't have been happening on its own. As he watched the lines on the screen, bits of the conversation around him filtered into his head.

"Acts like a hacker…" "Using internal access, so it must be a virus…" "An intelligent virus..." "Sentient?!"

Through all the jargon echoing around him, the dread finally rose up full force within Henry. It was beginning.

* * *

><p><em>Soooo much dialooooogue. Good practice for me. This is gonna be a hard arc tho... I love the Tamers.<em>

_Feedback appreciated!_


End file.
